


His Irish Angel Part 10: The Gates of Hell

by DavinaCFox



Series: His Irish Angel [10]
Category: Gotham (TV), Re-Animator (Movies), Shutter Island (2010), Would You Rather (2012)
Genre: Bondage, Deadly Games, Escape, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Forgiveness, Guns, Halloween, Horror, Kinky sex, Kissing, M/M, Outdoor Sex, S&M, Sexual Fantasy, Strong Female Characters, Strong family bonds, True Love, Violence, fetishes, horror house, threeway relationship, trap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:47:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 83,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26192890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavinaCFox/pseuds/DavinaCFox
Summary: With Halloween approaching, Molly, Oswald and Julian are looking forward to a wild night at the former asylum in the closed off East wing – whilst their other guests enjoy the preview of the house of horrors. But Julian is also planning to help Cain, who is keen to leave the Cobblepot mansion and start a new life with Ronnie. And Julian is not the only one with something to hide - Amy begins to suspect her husband Herbert West has kept more than one secret from her, hidden away in their mansion in the woods.As Julian feels guilt over helping Oswald's son without his knowledge, the date to visit the former asylum looms closer, as Oswald and Molly assure Julian all is forgiven – but can Cain ever forgive his parents for making a decision that devastated his life?Molly and Oswald think their worries are finally over, but they are only just starting – because the house of horrors is being controlled by Izak Coffinwood, and what was supposed to be a night of fun will turn into a living nightmare as those who enter the asylum face a fight to survive until daybreak, trapped with no way off Shutter Island and no way out of the crumbling asylum...
Relationships: Amy (Would You Rather)/Herbert West, Oswald Cobblepot/Julian Lambrick/Original Female Character(s), Penguin (Batman Returns)/Iris, Selina Kyle/Original Male Character, Victor Zsasz/Original Female Character(s)
Series: His Irish Angel [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531589
Comments: 65
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BraveVesperia01](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BraveVesperia01/gifts).



Chapter 1

Little Penguin waddled quickly down the hallway of the Van Dahl mansion, his shiny shoes tapping as he went.

“Halloween for Penguin! _All_ the candy all for Penguin!” he declared as he raised his arms and opened his flippers wide.

As he collided with Molly, she placed her hands on his shoulders and looked down at the chubby smiling kid who had almost knocked her over as they collided.

“Halloween is a week away!” she reminded him, “Go and find Lucy and Felix, they're in the garden - and don't run!”

“Okay Molly!” he said brightly, and he turned around and waddled off quickly in the direction of the garden, pausing to grab his coat from a hook on the hallway where the hooks sat lower just for the kids, and Molly watched as he put on his thick brown coat and his little flipper hands fumbled with the buttons. Then he was off, in search of his playmates.

“Halloween is indeed a week away,” Oswald said in a velvet smooth voice as he joined her.

She turned and smiled at the sight of her older, heavy built husband as he stood there in the hallway looking immaculate in a dark suit with his hair spiked and a sparkle in his eyes. He reached into his jacket and drew out a shiny black card edged with gold and as she admired the scrolled writing, she smiled.

“Oh Ozzie! You got the invites for the Halloween night.”

She turned the card over, then read the words again:

_Oswald Cobblepot invites you to spend a night of fun at the Halloween Haunt formerly known as Ashecliffe Asylum – join me on Shutter Island to tour The Gates of Hell._ The small print beneath read,  _Adults only._

Molly tucked the card into his pocket and then slipped her arms around his broad waist as she was hit by the scent of costly cologne and his masculine scent that seemed to seep through every fine woven fibre of his suit.

“So, tell me who made the guest list, who is going to be touring that place while we take Julian off for some fun?”

Oswald smiled as his gaze locked with hers. Molly felt so slender as his arm snaked around her waist a little tighter, her black hair fell glossy to her shoulders and her green eyes shone with warmth.

“I am inviting Josh and Jax – they can bring their spouses if they wish. But I will _still_ require them to be armed as this trip is out of the city and we will not be on home ground. I also decided to invite River and Victor, and Herbert and Amy. They will be touring the main part of the Halloween horror house, while we take Julian off on our _own_ adventure!”

His eyes sparkled brightly as excitement flashed in his gaze. Molly smiled, then as she drew back from his embrace, a flicker of worry came to her eyes.

“Are you absolutely sure,” she asked, lowering her voice in case the kids returned from the garden, “about taking him there, Ozzie? Let's remember, Julian spent five years trapped in that place when it was a real asylum, and he went through horror – real horror!”

“But Molly, he masturbates every time we talk about what we're going to do to him in that place!”

“In theory, in fantasy, in his mind, Oswald! What about in real life, what if going back there sets off his trauma all over again?”

“He's taking his meds that night.”

“You sound very sure about this,” Molly added, “But I'm worried it might not be enough – what if he freaks out?”

“He won't!” Oswald insisted, “I've got him too worked up over this, you've seen that with your own eyes, and what a sight it was!”

As delight crept into his voice, she felt undeniably excited. Oh yes, Julian was in for a night of fetish and indulgence like never before – and so much of it, at his request, referenced his ordeal at the asylum – the very place that _fucked him up in the first place_ , as he had said many times...

“Promise me,” she ran a hand down the lapel of his jacket, “If Julian freaks out, we're calling it a night and going home?”

“Of course,” Oswald assured her, “But that won't happen, my dear. He's far too excited to back out of it now!”

Julian Lambrick was feeling far from excited. He was looking away as he stood by the window, taking in the view of the driveway below as leaves skittered across its gravel surface. Behind him, Cain was sitting at his desk, leaning back against a cushioned seat as he spoke to Ronnie and his words slurred, and he promised he would see her soon.

“And then,” he said, “I'll... f-fuck you!”

Ronnie smiled as she looked through the screen at Cain, so damaged by the treatment to repair the harm caused by the poisonous drugs sold by Izak Coffinwood, but still the man she loved.

“That's for later,” she reminded him, “Let's just get the next part over and done with, hurry up, your bags are packed, get in the car with Julian!”

The screen blinked off. Julian was sweating hard as he felt every muscle in his body go taut. He had never wanted to do anything behind Molly or Oswald's backs, it hurt him to lie and deceive them... But Cain, despite his difficulties, wanted a life of his own, and he wanted to be with Ronnie. She had handed in her notice to Oswald explaining she would not be returning to work, and Oswald had taken it well despite the cost of her repair work and the fact that he had ordered her revived, restored to life with a partly electronic brain inside her head that would have made her the most skilled of his team of elite protectors. Ronnie wanted out, he had accepted that.

He didn't yet know that Cain had gone to a lawyer not associated with the family and had papers drawn up to put Julian in charge of his money, or that Julian had authorised a severance pay deal for Ronnie that included her house on the coast. She and Cain would have a comfortable life. And he was orchestrating it all, simply because he wanted Cain to have a life of his own despite the damage that had been done to his mind. He understood his struggle, and he knew Molly and Oswald were far too protective when it came to their eldest son... He was helping him to leave behind their backs, and he knew the guilt would weigh heavy forever, he never lied to his spouses about anything but this, it was different...

“I'll wait until they're out in the garden with the kids,” Julian said as worry reflected in his hazel eyes and he watched the leaves twist to earth as he looked out the window, “Then we can leave...”

He stopped right there, hearing a familiar sound. A sound he didn't want to hear.

“Shit, not again!” Julian exclaimed, turning to see Cain slumped in the chair, his zipper down as he fapped hard looking at the darkened screen and gasped Ronnie's name.

“No!” Julian said, tugging his hand away and then looking away as he pushed his cock back into his clothing and tugged up the zip, “ _Don't_ do that in front of me, Cain. It's not appropriate! You're like a brother to me!”

“I want Ronnie!” Cain said, looking like a very young and sulky Oswald, except that he had a deep vertical scar on his brow, a legacy of the surgery to save his life that had left him wrecked like this – if only Molly and Oswald had waited just a few more days, when Hugo Strange had come up with an antidote – now Cain was damaged forever and they blamed themselves. Julian didn't blame anyone. He just wanted Cain to be happy and have a life of his own, even if this meant deceiving Molly and Oswald to help him get that life...

“Don't jerk off in front of me!” Julian scolded as Cain shot him a look of annoyance, “Save that for Ronnie. I don't want to see that!”

Cain leaned on the chair and got up, took a stumbling step and grabbed a silver topped cane that bore the head of a small penguin, one of his father's spares, and then he leaned on it hard and looked to the door.

“ _L-let's fuck... off!”_ he hissed with impatience.

Julian took in a slow breath. He was still sweating as he reached into his pocket and fumbled for car keys.

“Okay, but wait here. I'll come and fetch you,” he replied, then he left the room and watched as Molly and Oswald linked hands and began to head for the garden. The guilt was weighing like a lead balloon. But he had promised Cain, and it was too late to back out now...

_The drive up to the coast took two hours._

Julian was feeling tearful as he stopped the car outside the house by the sea where Ronnie lived alone, and would now live with Cain. She came outside to meet them in a long dark dress and smiled as love shone in her gaze. Cain stumbled into her arms and kissed her. Julian looked away, allowing them a moment of privacy. He watched as Ronnie helped him into the house, and then he fetched Cain's bags and as he left them in the hallway, he felt his guts go tight at the thought of what he had done:

_Molly and Oswald would soon know Cain was missing._

_Maybe they did already._

_And he was to blame for this..._

But then he looked at Ronnie and Cain, saw the way she lovingly touched his face, then led him through to the front room and helped him to sit. She sat beside him and Julian went into the room and joined them.

“Thanks,” Cain said, smiling through his tears as he opened up his arms. Julian walked over and leaned down and Cain hugged him tightly. He saw tears of joy in his eyes as he let go again, and understood. Julian recalled a time when he had also been helpless and weak and damaged, written off and left in an asylum. Cain's situation was different but he had still been suffocated by Molly and Oswald who had refused to understand that he needed a real life instead of being wrapped in cotton wool at home, treated like fragile china. He still feared Molly and Oswald's wrath when he got back. They would have to know what he had done. But not yet, not today...

Cain looked to Ronnie who drew out her phone.

“I'm calling them,” she said, pausing to give Cain's hand a squeeze, “Don't worry, I will explain it like it is.”

Julian watched, looking on in uneasy silence as he sweated harder and his anxiety levels shot up. _He was responsible for this, he had just taken Cain away from his parents. He had helped him start a new life with Ronnie, but betrayed his own spouses in the process... Betrayed the two people he loved most in this world..._

The phone rang, then it was answered quickly.

“Molly,” said Ronnie, “I don't ever want you to think this is a betrayal – but Cain is with me now. He wants a life with me. And before you think about taking the house, it's been signed over to us. That deal I had was generous and set in stone and no one can take it back. As for Cain, he has his own money – controlled for him and not by me, just so you know I am with him for love and nothing else. In time, I hope he will see you again. But please understand he is well enough to have a life with me, it's what we both want, and what we will have.”

“Put him on the phone NOW!” Molly raged tearfully.

Julian blinked away the sting to his eyes as he realised she sounded distraught. She had no doubt realised Cain was missing... He reached in his pocket and checked his phone. One missed call. He hoped a story would cover it for now, he didn't want to break the news of his involvement today, not after the shock of finding out Cain had left...

Then the unthinkable happened.

Cain snatched the phone from Ronnie as his eyes blurred with tears.

“ _Mom, you and Dad are... r-r-responsible for what... h-happened to ME!” he stammered bitterly, “I hate you both, you ruined my f-fucking life!”_

Then he gave a sob as he stabbed at the button to end the call and with a clumsy jerk of his hand, thrust the phone back at Ronnie.

“Okay,” she said gently, “You've a right to feel that way. I won't take sides in this, I love you and you're home with me and that's all the matters.”

“I should go now,” Julian said, and he glanced to Cain, then Ronnie.

“Take care of him,” he said to her, and as she nodded, he looked back at Cain, who smiled like a triumphant Oswald.

Then Cain reached for Ronnie.

“F-fuck me, Ronnie!” he said urgently as Ronnie gently reminded him, _Not_ _in front of Julian._

He had heard him loudly demanding sex, and had left the room, keen to leave the two of them to settle down together, it would take Cain a while to get used to a new life with Ronnie, but at least he was happy now. Julian held that thought as he left the house, got into the car and drove away at speed, wiping away tears as he took to the high road, heading back towards the Gotham bridge as his heart ached for the pain he had caused to Molly and Oswald, as he wondered if they could ever forgive him once his confession had been made...

_It took several days._

_Halloween was looming closer._

_Molly and Oswald were distraught that Cain had upped and left._

_Julian said nothing..._

Molly was tearful as she stood in the open doorway to Cain's room. Almost everything was still there. He had taken a few favourite items of clothing and now he was gone. She hadn't imagined he could leave the house by himself, let alone arrange for someone to come and pick him up and drive him away – unless that was all Ronnie's doing.

“ _It's not fucking right!”_ she said in a voice broken by tears as she turned to Oswald, who had done his crying and now looked at her sadly.

“We did our best for him. Perhaps he will always blame us for the decision we made. But we didn't know Strange would find an antidote so fast and he was going insane and it would have been irreversible, Molly! We did our best at the time!”

Pain shone in Oswald's gaze.

Molly nodded, then gave a sob.

“ _But our Cain, our oldest son! He's gone and he hates us!”_ she wept.

Julian had joined them in the hallway. He was tearful too and they hadn't noticed, too busy hugging as they adjusted to the fact that Cain resented them, blamed them for what had happened, and had left to live with Ronnie and wanted no more contact. Even the powerful Oswald Cobblepot couldn't use force to make his own son love him again. Nothing could put this right.

_And Julian couldn't take it any more._

He had lay there in bed as Molly and Oswald had cried over Cain, he had seen the kids upset too because they missed him. It had been several days now, and he had to own up. He took a deep breath.

“You asked me where I was when Cain left. I said I was upstairs, you thought the car was in the garage. I wasn't there and the car was outside. I'm sorry, Molly...” his voice choked with tears and he looked at Molly, begging a silent apology, as he looked at Oswald, tears ran down his face.

“Ozzie, I'd _neve_ r hurt you - but I know what it feels like to be like Cain! I was once like him, but I got better! He didn't have that choice, and he wanted to have a life with Ronnie - so I helped him!”

Oswald stared at him. Molly's jaw dropped. Oswald shook his head slowly.

“No, you wouldn't do that, not my sweet Julian, you wouldn't take Cain away from us -”

“He wanted his own life! _Why_ shouldn't he be with Ronnie? I know you were trying to save him after the poisoning, but he will always resent you for not waiting for Strange to find an antidote! No one is to blame, but he blames you and all that really matters here, is that Cain is happy! I'm sorry, don't hate me, I just wanted to see him happy!”

Molly glared at Julian, hit with hurt and anger and betrayal at the same time.

“How could you do this, Julian? You married us both! You've hurt us so much, you just don't know the damage you've done – he's my son! I need him back here!”

“No,” Julian said, “No, Molly – he wants to be independent, he wants to live with the person he loves. Neither of you did anything good for him by keeping him at the house, treating him like he was a helpless child! He's a man of nineteen and you won't force him back here or cut off his money or take the house from Ronnie.” He took a deep breath, _“I'm in charge of the finances now. They've trusted me to do that, because they know I won't do anything to try and stop them!”_

Molly felt her heart breaking in a second place on hearing Julian's revelation.

“ _You slimy little shit!”_ she raged, _“You may as well have stabbed us in the back! We brought Cain home to protect him and you've encouraged him to leave and cut us out of his life -”_

“No!” Julian said sharply, “I did _not_ fucking tell him to hate you! He already does, he blames you _both_ for the way he is – and that's up to him, I love you both, but he has a right to see his situation through his own eyes and have his own take on his struggles. I won't take sides in this, I just wanted to see him happy. Ronnie loves him, he can have a life with her and maybe if he's happy enough, he won't think about how he has to live in a wrecked body. Maybe she's what he needs to have a quality of life that's really worth living! Maybe they will have kids one day, too!”

“But he can't live a normal life -”

Oswald cut Molly off right there.

“Yes he can! Ronnie can help him. Please, just be glad your son is happy and getting on with life, be glad about that and stop blaming me for helping him to get there!”

Molly shook her head. She looked at Oswald as pain weighed heavy inside her and she felt Cain's loss and Julian's betrayal all over again.

“ _Ozzie, I can't believe this has happened!”_

Oswald held her as she pressed her face against his shoulder. She clung to him tightly as she wept. There had been many times in Molly's life when a problem was solved with a hard fist or a straight shot, but not this. No, this was deeper. This was a family pain that cut to the bone. It had seemed unthinkable that Julian could be a part of this, a secret plan for Cain to reject his own family...

Oswald was still holding Molly as he glared in fury at Julian Lambrick, the man who he had saved, who he had sheltered, hid within plain sight from harm under the false identity of a son, the man who he had known since the guy had been adopted into his family all those years before – the young man who had stolen his heart and transformed their lives with such love and sweetness. They had gone to hell and back to save him after the experiments at Ashecliffe. Saving his life then his body and his mind and all the pain and emotional cost that come along with it, replaced by joy after he was finally cured of the scarring left in his head by the experiments, their happy marriage – all for what? For Julian Lambrick to prove he was no better than his adoptive father, he had turned against them and orchestrated Cain leaving not just the house, but their lives?

“ _I will never forgive this!”_ Oswald said darkly as his voice trembled and hurt reflected in his gaze, _“I loved you and you... you took Cain from us!”_

Molly's heart was aching as she looked to Julian, she shared her husband's anger, feeling the sting of the betrayal as she ached for her son who felt lost to her now.

“ _Cain is MY son! He needed us! I want nothing more to do with you, Julian. I want you out of this house!”_

Ever since his recovery from his ordeal at the asylum, Julian had struggled with strong emotions. It was that one percent of him that had not gone back right after all he had been through, still there, still reminding him of his struggle as he looked tearfully at Molly and Oswald as he felt like the sky had just fallen in on everything he knew and loved. There was only one way out.

“ _It's okay,”_ he said bitterly as tears streaked his face, _“You don't have to put up with me any longer, I'm leaving and I'll make the rest easy, I want a divorce!”_

This was not the way Molly had planned to spend the days running up to Halloween at the asylum. Oswald had paid out a huge sum of money to take over the place for the night, and when he had heard the woman representing the company say that they would accommodate every wish, the great Mr Cobblepot Oswald had requested they take over the place on Halloween night itself instead of enjoying a preview the night before. When Oswald's wallet opened up, he got what he wanted. Now it was all paid up, a huge sum of money to have that place all to themselves on Halloween night, enjoying a haunted house of horror and all the attractions, and a promise that the old unused wing of Ashecliffe would be equipped especially to requirement, as Oswald had laid out all the details needed to make Julian's darkest fantasies come true. And now Julian had packed his bags and drove off with a squeal of tires on gravel as Molly had felt her heart ache and she didn't doubt that Oswald felt the same, but he just wouldn't admit it.

The both missed him instantly.

The kids missed Julian too.

He called and sounded upset as he said he wanted to arrange access to Lucy, and worse still, he wanted to take Gertie, he wanted to take Ozzie's baby daughter away to live with him, knowing as birth father he would most likely be granted full custody and it didn't matter that Oswald was one of the most powerful men in Gotham – Julian had rights, and he intended to use them.

“Julian,” Oswald said as he spoke on the phone, standing there in the middle of Cain's bedroom as Molly tearfully packed away her son's possessions item by item, wondering if he would ever return to collect them. Molly turned her head, looking up from where she knelt on the floor folding clothing, listening as Oswald spoke again.

“It's not fair on the kids!” he said as he struggled to contain his tears, “We are a big family, Julian! What about Felix and Lucy? They love Gertie – and Lucy wouldn't like to live split between two places!!

There was a pause on the phone.

“Okay. So maybe I'll take them both and fuck off, I'll take my two girls and we can live far from the city and you and Molly get to keep the rest of the family together, you can forget you ever met me!”

Molly had heard what he said in the stillness of the room, and she got up from the floor, her eyes wide as she looked at Oswald... Her heart was aching now, not for Cain but for the situation this had caused – and it had just dawned on her that maybe, they had been wrong to keep Cain here at the house, shutting him away from the world instead of encouraging him to try and rebuild his life. Clearly, he could have a life – he was with Ronnie, he loved her and he was living with her now.

They had been wrong.

She knew it in a heartbeat as she looked at Oswald.

“Ozzie,” she said quietly, “Cain wanted this and he felt he couldn't tell us. _He couldn't tell us, Ozzie!_ ”

Tears were in her eyes.

Oswald blinked back his own tears as he paused to draw breath, trying to keep up a facade of strength when breaking down was edging closer. He loved Julian. He knew him well enough to know that what he had just said had been an empty threat. He would never split the kids up, Lucy was close to Felix and Luna and Gertie was still a baby, he wouldn't make such a drastic change to her future, either...

“Julian,” Oswald said as emotion crept into his voice, “I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. Molly's right, Cain felt he couldn't tell us what he wanted from life. And if he blames us for what happened to him... well, it was our decision and we made the wrong one. And I know you did this because you love him as a brother. I also know you would never take the kids from this house, from their family. You left to make it easier for us, and you shouldn't have done that...”

He drew in a sharp breath as he failed to hide the tremble in his voice as he spoke again and tears reflected in his blue eyes.

“ _Come home, Julian. We just want you home again!”_

Molly felt relief flood through her as she heard sobbing on the end of the line. Oswald was still holding the phone, and his hand was shaking as he kept it in a tight grip.

“Come home, sweet Julian.”

“I don't know,” Julian replied as he sniffed and gave a quiet sob, “Does Molly hate me?”

“No sweetheart, I could never do that!” Molly said aloud, looking to the phone as Oswald met her gaze, and now all trace of anger was gone from his eyes as he spoke again.

“We miss you, we want you to come back.”

There was a pause, more sniffing and then Julian took in a shaky breath.

“Okay I'll come home.” he said quietly.

It was two days until Halloween.

There was no mention of their planned trip out of the city, or their visit to the horror house where the old asylum stood. Julian had turned up an hour after the phone call, walked into the house and glanced at Molly and Oswald and simply said he needed to see the kids and then went upstairs to the nursery as they followed.

“I've missed you so much!” he said softly as he reached into the crib and raised Gertie into his arms. She smiled for him and he smiled too, holding her close as he became tearful again.

“ _I can't believe I just walked out and left the kids!”_

“You struggle with emotional situations,” Molly reminded him, “It's okay, sweetheart, we know you had to get away.”

“And I know you stayed at a hotel on the edge of the city,” Oswald added, “If you didn't want me to trace you, maybe you should have left Gotham – I kept you in my sights, I wouldn't do anything less. I needed to know you were safe.”

Julian laid Gertie back down in her bed and turned to him with an uneasy look on his face that he tried to hide with a nervous laugh.

“You didn't track me down to have me killed, then!”

“Oh Julian,” Oswald said as he imped closer, “My only thought was the need to know you were safe.”

The look in his eyes had changed. He seemed as if he was about to cry at any second, and Molly felt the same, but she stood back and watched as Oswald put his arms around him, holding him tightly as Julian clung on and sobbed against his shoulder.

Julian had apologised many times on that day, hugging Oswald, then Molly, saying he loved them and he was sorry for everything. Oswald had concluded that Molly was right, Julian had helped Cain because Cain had no one else to turn to. Their own son had felt he couldn't explain what he wanted from life to the parents who were responsible for him becoming crippled. Maybe he had a right to hate them. Molly didn't want to think about that as she ached to see her son again and talk to him and try and find a way through the mess that had once been a strong family bond. Cain was their eldest son, once destined to rule the Cobblepot empire. But now his life had changed, and it was their fault – but he had Ronnie. She knew she should have listened to him, tried to see his point of view. But it wasn't too late. She hoped in time Cain would agree to meet with her and Ozzie. But right now, it was far too soon to think about healing fractures in the family.

_But Julian was back._

_That was a start._

Later on, as they lay together feeling complete once more now the three of them were together, as the wind howled outside and scattered dry leaves past the window, Julian gave a sigh and shifted closer to Oswald as he ran a finger teasingly down his body, over his smooth groin and then stopped, avoiding contact with his hard cock.

“Oswald please... Molly, don't let him torment me!” Julian said with longing in his voice as he pressed his back against Oswald and Molly watched as Ozzie stroked at the place just above his cock, refusing to go further.

“Oh no, Julian. We wait, it's Halloween soon and you're going back to the island. You're going back to Ashecliffe and this time, you'll be _our_ prisoner,” Oswald whispered.

Julian closed his eyes, smiling as Oswald stroked him again.

“ _Fuck yes! The shit you'll do to me in that place... no holding back!”_

“No holding back,” Oswald confirmed.

Molly watched as Julian lay there on his side, his body pressed up against Oswald as he whispered to him, telling him how his darkest fantasies would come true on returning to the former asylum. Molly watched as Julian reached down, jerking hard at his cock, then he came hard and fast crying out as he lost control, as Oswald whispered more of the words he needed to hear, a promise that the asylum would be the best night of his life.

Julian was still breathless as he turned on his back.

“I cannot wait for Halloween!” he said as he swept his hair off his face and looked at them, flushed and still recovering from a hard orgasm.

“Neither can I,” Oswald told him as his eyes shone dark with that look Molly had come to associate with his dominant side - Julian was in for a heavy night of sado masochistic bondage under Oswald's control. And it would be a good night for all of them, _if_ Julian didn't get flashbacks to the bad old days.

“Are you sure you want to go back to Shutter Island?” she asked as she turned on her side, her arm draped over Oswald's broad belly as she looked past him and into Julian's gaze.

“I'm sure,” Julian said, his pupils still dark at the thought of it, “I'm ready for this, Molly. It's going to be the best night of my life!”

Molly silently hoped he was right. If this worked, Julian could confront his old demons and banish them, and the three of them would have a night of fantasy fulfilment into the bargain. But if it went wrong, it could send Julian spiralling backwards with his Ptsd. But he wanted this, Oswald wanted it too. She just hoped it would turn out okay when they stepped off the boat and Julian was back on the island for the first time in many years, the place where he had known nothing but pain and horror. This would either go well or terribly wrong...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers, I hope this fic is enjoyed. I decided to jump back to Irish Angel serial because I have been writing it for so long, I can literally slip back into that world with ease as its so familiar to me. I am only writing this fic at the current time.   
> I am writing in my spare time as much as I possibly can, as it helps to give me a sense of normality and eases my anxiety while my life partner is very ill, at this time, I swear writing is saving my sanity.   
> So due to family circumstances remember I may stop writing for a while, I may stop and start, dont expect this fic to be updated quickly every day - right now my life is about doing all I can for the one I love while he is unwell and writing inbetween to look after my own well being X

Chapter 2

A short distance from the Cobblepot mansion, at the house in the woods where Amy and her daughter lived with Herbert West, the old mansion was surrounded by trees part bare as shades of Fall covered the ground. Amy sat at her dressing table, her hair to her shoulders after deciding to go long for the coming winter and having extensions. She wore a studded collar around her neck and her dress was short and tight. Her red nail polish caught the light as she thoughtfully turned over the black card with the gold writing. Herbert had found it highly amusing that Oswald Cobblepot would spend so much money on what he saw as frivolous and pointless Halloween entertainment, buying up a whole venue for the night, for a small party of guests when the place had been intended for the general public. He had laughed so hard at the thought of it, but agreed to a night off from his research because she needed a night out, they needed a night together, and Lily would be staying at the Cobblepot house along with Little Penguin as the kids were all going trick or treating together, then sleeping over with the younger Cobblepot kids, and Penguin and Iris, along with Selina, would be over to take care of them while Oswald and his spouses were away on their night out. And Amy was looking forward to this night away, just her and Herbert and a Halloween house...

The house was quiet as Amy left the room and made her way down the hallway. The clock chimed as she went down the stairs. It was gone mid day and there was no sign of her husband even though ] he had promised to join her for lunch. He wasn't even back from the out house at the back of the main property, where he had set up a lab for his work...

She put on her coat and opened up the door, then as she stepped outside the hem lifted and trailed on the wind as the fine dark fabric that fell to her ankles caught on the breeze. She pulled the coat a little closer as she looked about the woodland and the pathway that wound through it, leading to the old white building that Herbert worked in alone, working on research for River Zsasz, and then there was the work he did for Wayne Enterprises... and she had seen none of it. He kept her out of that place and warned Lily must never enter, either – it was full of dangerous materials, he had explained, and they needed to stay away while he worked. But Herbert was late for lunch, and Lily was at school and Amy was feeling curious...

The breeze was cold as it picked up and she swept her hair off her face, irritated by the way the wind kept blowing it about. When it was short, it was easier to manage and she missed the razor cut already. Leaves blew down from trees and scattered about. She carried on walking, until she reached the door of the old building where the paint was cracked and peeling. The heavy door was unlocked, and she gave it a push and it creaked open. She went inside to find a short corridor that led to the main building and as she headed towards it, giving a shiver in the cold she paused, seeing the door ahead of her was ajar. Amy was getting an odd feeling about this place now she had ventured inside, but she had been with Herbert long enough to know he didn't have to hide anything from her. If he said the place was dangerous, she would be careful. Her husband didn't have to hide his work from her, he worked for River and for Wayne Enterprises now – he was using his formula for all kinds of projects, all of them good and she was proud of him...

And then she heard a thump and stopped abruptly. Then from somewhere within the space beyond the door, she heard Herbert speaking:

“ _I will be gone for the night. You are quite safe here, its better here than at the house... I can't take you down to the cellar, I have other work there -”_

He paused. She listened harder, shifting closer to the door, but struggled to hear anything said in reply. But then Herbert spoke up again.

“ _Maybe I could do that... if I can, I will. Now I have to go, I have something to do, it won't wait...”_

She heard another door close deep inside the building, then a heavy lock snap shut. Amy wanted to walk in and ask what was going on, but she didn't want to upset him. She couldn't go in there sounding accusing like what, like he was hiding a secret from her? She and Herbert had no secrets... _except one_. She smiled as her hand slid down the fabric of her coat to a belly that was yet to show signs of swelling with the child she carried. Herbert was going to be a father, he didn't know yet, and he wasn't expecting it – but he was so good with Lily, and while he said he felt their family was complete, it didn't stop her from wanting to carry his baby, and so she had _forgotten_ a few contraceptive pills, feeling sure Herbert would be overjoyed when the news sank in, and why shouldn't he? That guy had spent his whole life dedicated to his work, and now he had her and Lily and his life was filled with love and togetherness. He often went missing for hours, locked away working, but having a family had made such a difference to him. One more baby wouldn't be a problem, the house was large and all paid up and Herbert was a wealthy guy. There was no reason not to have a baby at this time...

She had decided to tell him about the baby on Halloween night, on the way over to the asylum. Oswald had said this would be a great night out, and what better time to share happy news? Amy was still smiling at the thought of it as she pushed the door open and walked into the lab area.

Then she stopped and stared in horror and disbelief.

Herbert had seen the door open and looked up, staring at Amy as he sat there unable to move as the rush ran through his body. He wanted to explain, but all he could think, was what the hell was she doing in here, he had told her to stay out! But he still couldn't say a word, not yet, not while the rush was hitting and firing him up so strongly.

Amy was still looking at him in horror:

_Herbert was sitting on a chair by a bench._

_He had his sleeve rolled up and strap around his arm._

_He had just injected a needle and the syringe had clattered to floor as he dropped it and saw her standing there._

_A syringe bearing traces of green glowing fluid..._

“You're junkie?” Amy said in horror, “I married a fucking junkie?”

He stood up sharply and took in a gasp, feeling the Re Agent course through his body, then he took off the strap and adjusted his glasses and turned to her, alarmed that she had just seen him do this. He had never wanted her to know...

“I can explain -”

“ _Explain? You just put a needle in your arm!”_

Amy sounded furious, and she felt furious to think he had married her, become a father to Lily and now she was pregnant – by a junkie?

“ _I don't want that shit around my kid!”_ it was all she could think to say.

She backed off as he hurried over to her.

“Listen, I just take it for concentration, when I'm working hard... it's Re Agent, it's not a street drug, it's okay!”

She looked at him in disbelief.

“You use that stuff to reanimate dead tissue. You're alive, you shouldn't be injecting it!”

“ _It's safe in small doses and my work is important!”_

“ _So is our marriage!”_

They looked at each other. There was so much more Herbert wanted to say, there were things she needed to know that she didn't know yet – but now seemed like the worst time to explain the rest.

“It's just a stimulant. I take very small doses once in a while. I'm _careful,_ Amy!”

She looked coldly at him as she shook her head.

“I heard you talking before I came in. Who was it, some guy you get your chemicals from to make the Re Agent? Were you on the phone to your _dealer,_ Herbert?”

“Dealer?” he said in confusion.

“Forget it!” Amy snapped, and she turned away and walked out, slamming the door behind her. 

Herbert was utterly confused as he thought on her remark about the phone. Then his eyes widened as he looked to the door that was locked on the other side of the room and secured with a padlock:

_She had heard him talking?_

_What else had she heard?_

“ _Amy, wait!”_ he said urgently, and hurried from the room to catch up with her.

Ivy Pepper was away, taking care of plants that needed a lot of tending now winter was approaching. She had taken Flora with her, and Josh smiled at the thought of his baby girl with red hair who smiled as the vines gently lifted her, rocking her to sleep while Ivy worked. Ivy would miss Halloween. But Selina was taking Nathan over to Oswald's house to spend the night with the rest of the family while Oswald, Molly and Julian were away enjoying their spooky night at the old asylum for the horror house experience. 

Selina was talking about the plan for the kids to go trick or treating together and then she laughed as she said she was dressing as herself, her old self in the days before their family had come along – she would be Cat Woman!

“I wish I could come with you,” Josh told her as he looked to the mirror and adjusted his tie that bore the umbrella crest, “But someone will have to guard the Cobblepots and it's going to be me and Jax, we're his Generals, and he will be off Gotham soil, it's protocol...”

“I understand, I know you have a job to do.”

Selina stood behind him, wrapping her arms around him as she pulled him close and they kissed, then they looked into the mirror together as he smiled and she did too as love sparkled in her green eyes.

Then the doorbell rang.

“That's work, I'd better go,” said Josh, and he kissed her again and then hurried out the door to find Jax waiting for him on the porch.

“I have a surprise for you, my friend!” Jax said with a glint in his dark eyes, and then he turned away and strode up the path, towards the gate where beyond, the car was parked. Josh hurried to catch up with him.

“What's this about?” he asked as he got into the car.

Jax shut the drivers door and now the car felt warm with the chill closed out, and as his heavy built friend smiled, his eyes sparkled playfully again as he drew two tickets from his pocket and held them up.

“We are both, by order of Oswald, required to accompany him, Molly and Julian on the trip to Shutter Island for the Gates of Hell experience. We can bring guests if we want to, but we must be armed because he's off Gotham soil – and check _this_ out...” he handed a ticket to Josh. 

Josh read it and looked back at Jax, who chuckled.

Josh was confused.

“What am I not seeing? It's a ticket for Gates of Hell.”

“Adults only!” Jax told him, “I'm willing to bet this will be a _boys_ night out!”

“Maybe I should bring Selina – or maybe someone else can take the job for the night...”

Jax put a hand on his shoulder as amusement danced in his eyes.

“Boys night!” he said again, “Of course it will be _adult_ fun – Oswald and Molly have plans for personal fun with Julian in the East Wing, it's all been arranged... which says a lot about the kind of company running this show! We can't take our spouses. There might be strippers! I must confess that even though I am a gentleman, I do like to indulge in the age old tradition of the boys night out!”

As he took his hand from his shoulder Josh looked at him, feeling uneasy.

“I'm not really into the whole boys night out thing...”

“Then you'll have to come along as bodyguard because that's our orders, Josh. And you'll like it. When you get there, we will both enjoy the show!”

Jax started up the car and pulled away from the parking spot as Josh gave a heavy sigh: 

_Boys night?_

_He really wasn't looking forward to this, not without Selina..._

River was enjoying a late afternoon in bed with Victor, it was a rare day off for her, and after making love and enjoying the simple pleasure of laying together warm under the covers on a cold October day, River had a smile on her face as she lifted the invitation card from the night stand, showing it to Victor.

“I've been working too hard lately. So have you, with taking care of the Lounge. We both need a night out. The Gates of Hell. It sounds like fun...” she turned on her stomach, shifted closer and rested her head on his toned body as she pushed back the covers to his hips and looked up as he looked down at met her gaze.

“I don't doubt this will be fun,” Victor replied with a smile, “The boss paid out a lot of cash, he's took the place over for Halloween night – just him, Molly and Julian having fun in the East wing, and the rest of us enjoying the Halloween show on the other side of the building. The stuff that money can buy!”

“He probably could have bought the island if he wanted to,” River replied, and then she frowned, “I asked Julian a few weeks back if he was sure about this. Right now he's so carried away with his own sex drive that he's laying all his past trauma aside. I hope it stays that way when he gets there.”

“If he freaks out, you can help him, you're a doctor,” Victor reminded her, “But you said he's going to take his meds, so he should be fine. And maybe this will help him confront the past. He probably needs to do that after all these years.”

“It's not always a good thing,” River told him, turning on her back as she placed the card back on the night stand, “But let's just hope it goes well and we all have a great time. I've heard this company do a great job of Halloween haunted houses. I can only imagine what they've done with the old asylum. There was a website advertising the event, but they took it down since Dad said he wanted the place on Halloween itself. He must have paid a fortune for that. All for Julian to live out his fantasies.”

“After what Julian did, helping Cain to walk away from his family,” Victor added as disapproval crept into his voice.

“Don't judge,” River told him, “As long as my brother is happy with Ronnie, that's all that matters. Maybe in time, he will get back in touch. I'm sure he misses all of us.”

“Maybe he will – or not. He blames Molly and Oswald,” Victor added, “And that's something we can't mess with, it's between them and their son. Cain has to want to see them, and right now he doesn't want to do that.”

There was a hint of sadness in River's eyes, and Victor wanted it gone. 

“But let's not think about that now. We're invited to spend the evening at the asylum, courtesy of your Dad. Here's to a great night out, River,” he said with a smile as he drew her closer and kissed her softly.

It was evening. Over at General Jax Sterling's house, the kitchen still carried the smell of casserole in the air. Jax had enjoyed dinner and then spent a few hours with the family before saying goodnight to Alicia. Now she was asleep and her light was off, Jax was downstairs alone with Carol as she stood next to the flickering fire and eyed him with a look of mild annoyance as he smiled warmly at her, standing there in his work suit with his tie off and his artificial arm off too, he was comfortable for the evening and ready to cuddle up with her on the couch to watch TV before bed, but going by the look on her face, it wasn't likely to happen tonight.

“Do I detect a hint of frost in the air, Carol?” asked Jax, “It's only a boys night out! The card states adults only. Clearly, its an adult themed night – I know Oswald has arranged with the owner for some of the staff to assist with certain aspects of what will go on in the East wing... but I shall be with the others while they have their private play time. Josh and I are invited, but in professional capacity also. On the journey to and from the place, we have to guard the Cobblepots because they're off home soil. When we get there, it's entertainment all the way. And you have no need to worry, Josh is a gentleman as much as I am – if the entertainment is very adult themed, you can be sure I will behave myself appropriately, as will he.”

Carol looked at the card and then placed it on the shelf, turning back to her husband.

“I don't like the idea of a boys night out, Jax. Don't get drunk!”

“I can't get drunk!” Jax laughed, “I have to guard the Cobblepots on the way home – and so does Josh. We will probably be the only two guests who behave ourselves!”

“Who else is going?”Carol asked.

Jax thought about it. Oswald had not shared that information.

“I would imagine, close friends,” he replied, “He hasn't talked about that part with me. But don't worry, Carol. I will return in the morning!”

She hugged him, giving a sigh as she hoped this night out wouldn't be  _too_ outrageous...

_Halloween had arrived._

The morning had started cold and breezy with a shower of autumnal leaves scattering about the Van Dahl estate as Molly and Julian put up the decorations outside the house. Julian had wanted to start early that morning, hollowing out the pumpkins and taking the decorations down from the attic so they could dress the porch. He had even recruited a couple of members of security to blow up balloons under sheets with faces that would glow in the dark after night fall, they were up ladders now, hanging the cartoon ghosts in the trees outside the house. 

Inside, the kids were being watched over by their older sister Luna as she helped them make faces on the smaller pumpkins. These would sit in the hallway inside the house, others would glow in the window next to the porch, much smaller than the larger ones outside. Julian had placed a rocking chair outside, sat a life size witch prop in it and laughed as he tested the batteries and its eyes lit up and it let out a cackle. Molly had draped fake cobwebs near the porch and added a large spider and some green and orange lights. Later, a big cauldron of candy would be placed outside, when dusk settled. 

“I'm looking forward to tonight,” Julian said as he stood on the porch and looked at the finished result of their efforts, and then he turned to Molly as she caught that look of apology in his eyes once more.

“I'm really sorry, about helping Cain like that -”

“Stop it, Julian, no more apologies!” 

Molly stepped closer, hugging him as he met her gaze, and she saw such remorse in his eyes she felt sure he would always regret what he had done behind her back, and how he had deceived Ozzie, too. But they both loved him and he needed to know they understood now. She let him go and stepped back again as she began to speak.

“Julian,” Molly said as she stood there in jeans and winter boots with her leather coat zipped up, “It's _our_ fault – me and Ozzie. We didn't take Cain's feelings or opinion into consideration. We shut him away from the world, we assumed he was too damaged to be independent. And he felt he couldn't talk to us about that. As for him blaming us, if we had waited yes, he wouldn't have the problems he had now, but at the time, Strange hadn't found an antidote. We should have waited. And that's always on my mind, and Ozzie's. I hope Cain will want to see us again one day but even if he doesn't, I just want him to have a happy life – I just want our Cain to be happy.”

“So do I,” Julian agreed as the wind ruffled his fair hair and he pulled up the collar of his dark jacket, “And I wanted to tell you both. I've said it to Oswald a hundred times by now, I told him, I wanted to say something so badly – but Cain didn't want me to. He's got a hell of a strong personality and he let nothing hold him back, Molly. I'm only there to guard his money in case he ever needs help with legal matters. He was afraid you and Oswald would cut off his finances. I didn't think that you would but he said, I'd better help him do this... he's so like Oswald, I can imagine Ozzie being just the same when he was younger, a force to be reckoned with.”

Molly smiled fondly.

“He was and he still is!”

“And I love you both, more than you know,” Julian promised her.

They were sharing a second kiss, deep and passionate and lingering, as Oswald joined them on the porch.

“Oh yes Julian, help yourself to my slut wife,” he said under his breath as his cock threatened to grow rock solid at the sight of the two of them, “I cannot wait for tonight, Julian! You will be my prisoner, back in the asylum... _The things I'll do to you._..”

He smiled at the sight of Julian's eyes darkening with desire. He watched as he reached down, touching himself through his pale jeans without realising it. Julian was turned on already.

“Leave yourself alone,” Molly warned playfully, “None of that until tonight!”

“You've both starved me of sex for two days!” Julian exclaimed.

Oswald chuckled.

”And I shall expect quite the explosion tonight, when you finally let it all go,” he replied. Julian turned to Oswald, wrapping his arms around him as he kissed him with urgency. Oswald let him do that, then gently eased himself out of his embrace.

“Tonight, Julian,” he repeated, “Save it all for tonight.”

“I've never been so fucking horny in my life!” Julian said as he looked from Oswald to Molly.

She paused, thinking about his list of desires to be fulfilled when they reached the island.

“Are you sure you want to go through with all of this?” she asked him, “I mean, the processing when we hand you over to the fake asylum staff is pretty brutal... you want this, all of it?”

“Yes I do!” he said as he breathed a little heavier, “That place, what they did to me for real years back – it made me as I am today. It fucked me up. It kinked me up. And now I can't be any other way and I won't freak out tonight, Molly. I want it, all of it! This is my darkest fantasy and I want to live it out.”

Molly glanced behind him to be sure Luna was keeping the younger kids in the house, then she grabbed the letterbox, pulling the front door partially shut as she kept her voice low.

“You want to be stripped naked, you want your head shaved, you want to be tied down and left alone for fifteen minutes before we come in play with you?”

He nodded as the look in his eyes grew intense.

“You want me to give your ass a pounding with my fist? You want me to repeatedly use you and make you come over and over again?”

“Stop it, or I'll come right now in my pants!” Julian exclaimed.

Molly giggled as she shook her head.

“Your arse will be bruised as fuck tomorrow!” she said, “First the plug, then Ozzies fist?”

“And then I'll make you come, Molly, before Ozzie shoves his big cock in my mouth!”

Molly giggled again as she shifted closer, keeping her voice low as the three of them stood there out of earshot of the kids, feeling like conspirators in a very naughty plan indeed.

“I keep thinking... if you have a razor cut, it's always in the summer!” she said as amusement danced in her eyes, “What are you going to say to the kids if they ask why you've done it in Fall?”

“I'll just say I thought the weather was still warm,” Julian said with a shrug, “But I've been very specific. Only to a number three on the razor setting, otherwise my scars will show through.”

“About the restraints,” Oswald added, “You want very hard leather. They might leave marks on your wrists.”

“I'll hide it when I get home.” Julian replied.

“He's determined to do this, Ozzie,” Molly added as she shot Julian a glance that said she was more than ready for tonight.

“I can't wait to hear you scream, my sweet Julian,” said Oswald as his pupils turned to pools dark with desire.

“Please, no more about tonight – I'll come!” Julian exclaimed, and as Molly giggled and Oswald laughed, he hurried back inside, trying not to think about tonight and the fantasies born of his worst ordeal, fantasies that would be acted out that very night, back on Shutter Island...

_The day went on._

By mid afternoon the kids were in their costumes, Gertie in a pumpkin outfit, Felix was a skeleton, Lucy was a princess and Luna was dressed as a fairy as she stood there with small sparkling wings and watched over the two younger kids. Gertie was too young to get involved, she would be staying home while Penguin and Iris, who turned up early to help with the cooking, took care of her. Penguin Cobblepot would be taking the kids trick or treating. Selina would be here later with Nathan, and Little Penguin was already running about the house excitedly, dressed as a vampire. At dusk, they would be going trick or treating. They would all be in bed before nine, except for Luna, who was meeting up with friends at seven pm to go out trick or treating with teens of her own age, and she was told to be back before eleven thirty. Luna was thankful no one had insisted she take a body guard – thanks to the fact that all the attention was on Cain when the Cobblepot family were mentioned in the press, they often forgot about his half sister, whose biological mother was Fish Mooney. This enabled Luna to avoid attention her father often suffered as head of the underworld, it was the same with the younger kids, too – all attention was always on Cain, including a recent article that thankfully, Edward Nygma had handled well when addressing the press, explaining that Cain had decided to step back from public attention and away from the family, and had left the city to start a new life that was more suited to his new circumstances. But they all missed him that day, as the kids played and their big brother was absent. 

Molly hoped Cain would call but he did not. She resisted the urge to call him. Oswald had the number, he could get any number in the city – but neither of them wanted to inflame an already difficult situation.

Everyone was gathered at the house by the time the car was ready to go and Oswald and Molly had said goodbye to the kids and Julian had fed Gertie and reminded Lucy to be good tonight, and then they left the house as the kids waved them off, as Molly giggled, seeing the way they had all innocently waved, thinking Mommy and Daddy and Julian were simply off to a party...

They had just headed out of the gates on the journey to the route out of Gotham when Oswald's phone rang. He was sitting in the back of the limo with Molly beside him and Julian sitting opposite as he shifted about, trying to ignore his constant arousal at the thought of what would unfold that evening.

“Oswald Cobblepot speaking, this had better be serious, James!” he said angrily, on recognising the caller was Jim Gordon. 

Molly watched the conversation unfold as her husband sat there in a neatly tailored three piece suit with his fur lined coat unbuttoned as annoyance flashed in his eyes.

“I just wanted to ask you why the hell I had to rubber stamp the okay for Herbert West to leave Gotham soil for twenty four hours!” Jim exclaimed, “Oswald, I had to cut through a lot of red tape -”

“And you did it, in the name of the brotherly bonds of the underworld and the GCPD. Thank you old friend.”

“I still had to explain to the city council why he had the immunity extended to foreign soil for a whole day! I had to say Oswald's having a private night out and he's invited the guy to come along, and he's paid a fortune to hire an island. Let me tell you, Oswald, the council were _not_ impressed and neither were outside authorities! It's only because you run the underworld, they okayed it!”

“Well thank you for reminding me of that, Jim,” he replied in a tone of sarcasm, “I can always rely on you when times are tough and matters are urgent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go – we are about to leave on our journey. Happy Halloween!”

Oswald ended the call.

The limo had hit the open road and was on route to the road that would lead to the Gotham bridge.

“Jim Gordon, whining again?” Molly said, “Feckin' copper, he's always got something to complain about!”

“He wasn't too happy about stamping the form to let Herbert West leave the city for a day,” he replied, “But they had to say yes to me, because I'm Oswald Cobblepot!”

The look on his face was pure glee. 

Molly smiled too, then as Julian lowered the window a fraction, the evening breeze came in, as fading sunlight caught on his fair hair and Molly felt a sudden wave of emotion as she blinked back tears.

“What?” Julian asked, sensing that bond the three of them shared, that closeness that enabled them to pick up on moments like this.

“Nothing,” Molly shook her head, “Leave it, Julian.”

Oswald had noticed now, and he looked at her with concern as he saw she looked upset.

“What ever is wrong, Molly?” he asked, “We're about to have a great evening – just the three of us! Why are you so upset?”

Molly shook her head again, blinking back tears as she felt a little silly for what she was about to say.

“It's nothing, maybe I'm just hyped up about tonight and my emotions are a bit wobbly – but I'm thinking about tonight, about what they're going to do to you, Julian...” her gaze lingered on him, “I love your hair. I know you buzz it off every summer, but tonight it's different, I won't be able to run my fingers through it again until Christmas!”

Julian looked at her wide eyed as he realised the thought of him getting shaved as part of the game actually upset her now the reality was looming closer.

“Oh no, Molly – don't get upset! You don't want me shaved? I won't do it, I can leave that part out, Oswald's talking to the hired staff before we begin, we can cancel that part, I don't mind.”

“But it's your fantasy, I don't want to wreck it or change it, I want you to have what you want, Julian!”

“And I don't want to upset you,” Julian told her, looking to Oswald, “Ozzie, do you want me to leave that part out, too?”

Oswald settled back comfortably in his seat as he sipped from a glass of chilled champagne, spreading his legs a little wider at the thought of the fun and games they were about to play far from the city of Gotham.

“I want you naked and shaved and tied down with your ass wide open for me,” he stated, and as the limo went over a bump in the road, his cock throbbed and he wanted it to throb again as his eyes darkened and he felt the rush, knowing he would soon have his Julian at his mercy, and tonight would be the ultimate in fantasy fulfilment.

“I want that too,” Julian admitted.

Suddenly Molly laughed, after seeing the funny side to the fact that she was getting upset over something he wanted done in an S and M game... and it was a game, tonight was all about the game.

”I don't want to spoil it for you, love,” she told him, “I was just being silly. Don't mind me, do the haircut thing, I don't mind.”

“You're sure?” Julian asked.

Oswald handed Molly a glass of champagne.

“I'm sure,” she told him, pausing to touch glasses with Ozzie before taking a sip.

They were on the way to the bridge. Julian had taken his meds before he left, ensuring if he did freak out when the memories hit in the asylum, it wouldn't be severe. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the built in bar and took off the cap and drank from the bottle.

“I wish I didn't have so many scars,” he said, “Or I could have it all shaved off. But I don't want to go home with those scars visible, I don't like looking at them in the mirror. Amy shaved her head last year I wish I could go down to skin like she did! I get the feeling Herbert loved it. She kept it bald for months. I'll bet those two are into some hot freaky shit!”

Molly chuckled.

“I bet they are!” she agreed, “But we'll never know – they're too private to share the details.”

“And monogamous,”Oswald added, “Let's remember, their relationship isn't like ours. It's just the two of them and they are both private people – especially Herbert.”

“I bet she ties him up!” said Molly.

Oswald watched the bubbles dance in his champagne glass, then he looked at her.

“I wouldn't mind tying him up!” Oswald said as he smiled playfully.

“I wouldn't mind fucking Amy!” Julian said keenly, and then as Molly shot him a stunned look, he cancelled that thought.

“I was just saying... I don't mean anything by it.”

“We know that, Julian,” Oswald replied, smiling fondly at his husband. 

Molly said nothing, letting that comment go. It had just dawned on her that Julian had never let go of his fascination for Amy, with whom he believed he shared some kind of unique bond because of their connections in the past, and their ordeal at Ashecliffe. But it seemed Amy wasn't afraid to go back to the place where she had been held captive – Oswald's reason for inviting her and Herbert was simply because he hoped if she had demons, they could be banished by returning there. He had asked her how she felt about the place, and it seemed she didn't feel the same trauma Julian did. She said the place had changed, it was just a building, and she was looking forward to the Halloween entertainment. As for the past, for Amy, it was packed away. She had a life and a future and the past was a fading memory. 

The car crossed the bridge and headed away from the city. Molly sat back enjoying the ride, now feeling aroused at the thought of what was to come.

Half an hour later, the limo was empty and Oswald, Molly and Julian had joined their guests on board the boat that would take them across the water to Shutter Island. They couldn't see the place yet, in the distance the mist was gathering at sea and the sun was sinking to dusk as the sky grew a deeper shade of evening, ready to yield to nightfall. 

As the boat took to the calm waters, Oswald was talking to River and Victor, as Josh and Jax stood about on the starboard side, purely on guard duty.

Josh saw Amy whisper something to Herbert after they had laughed and talked on the way out from the dock, now Amy was leading Herbert around the corner, out of sight down in the stern area. 

“I don't think this is a boys night, Jax,” Josh said as he glanced at him, “Victor's brought River. Herbert West is with his wife Amy. I'm guessing while the Cobblepots go off to the East wing, we get to go with the others to tour the place.”

Jax gave a heavy sigh as he realised his mistake.

“I should have brought my wife,” he said, thinking of Carol, who was taking Alicia to a classmate's Halloween party, then he shrugged.

“Oh well, Carol's taking Alicia to a party tonight, at least we get to work.”

Josh looked in annoyance at the calm waters as the boat cut through it, heading for the island that was now looming slowly out of the mist, visible in the fading light.

“Yeah,” he said flatly, “we get to work. I wanted to take Nathan trick or treating, but we get to work!”

Julian had been standing beside Molly, watching as the island loomed into view. It was still at a distance, but so far he felt no fear.

“Are you okay?” Molly asked.

He smiled and nodded, briefly touching her hand as their eyes met.

“Don't worry about me, Molly, I'm okay,” he assured her.

And then he heard a sound and turned his head, then before Molly could say another word he was off, and she followed him, watching as he stood by the stern, looking at something...

_No, someone._

Herbert was pinning Amy to the wall, his long coat was open and her dress was up to her waist as she wrapped a slender leg around him. They moved slowly, rocking in rhythm with the motion of the boat as she closed her eyes and gave a sigh and her leg revealing a black stocking top tensed as Herbert leaned harder against the wall, his head briefly on her shoulder as he gave a sigh of release. Then as he separated from Amy and saw Julian standing there, Amy gave a gasp and tugged at her skirt and closed her coat as Herbert tidied his clothing and pulled up his zip very quickly, his face flushing as he realised Julian had caught them. Over the past few months, he had been over to the house a few times, getting to know his twin brother's adopted son – and they got along quite well. But now Julian was standing there, staring in fascination. He had watched them have sex...

“Julian,” said Herbert, “Don't look at me like that, it's not appropriate, I'm your uncle!”

Molly had caught up with him in time to realise Herbert and Amy were separating and tidying their clothing because they had just fucked out here in the open air on the boat – discreetly, quietly, away from the others. Amy's face was flushed and Herbert looked embarrassed.

“I mean it, Julian, you shouldn't be staring.” Herbert added.

Julian smiled.

“It's okay,” he said, as he let that one percent of his mind that had never righted itself take over and too much truth came out, “It's cool, I like to watch. _Besides, I wasn't looking at you - I was looking at Amy_.”

Amy glared at him.

“ _Fuck off, you little perv!”_ she said angrily.

Molly stepped in, keen to diffuse the situation. 

“He didn't mean to stare, he can be a bit daft like that sometimes... Julian, say sorry!”

Julian smirked.

“Sorry,” he said, and that smirk was still on his face as Molly led him away, heading back to join the others.

The island was now in sight. 

Julian looked over his shoulder, saw the place looming up out of the mist – but strangely, it didn't remind him of the old days, it looked so different now. After the raid and the fire when Oswald had ordered the place destroyed, it had been rebuilt, and after it had stopped being used as an asylum, the older part of the building had been partly demolished. Now they could see lights glowing red and white and spooky as the darkness gathered. The place was brightly lit, decked out to look more like a Halloween haunt than the place it used to be. A lot of the shrubbery that used to partly hide the building had been removed, the place stood stark up in the hilltop, and it was nothing like he recalled it to be at all.

“Are you okay?” Molly asked as Julian caught her hand and gave it a squeeze. He turned his head and smiled, keen to enjoy the evening as they had planned it.

“I'm fine. I want this, I'm glad to be here,” he promised her, “Don't worry, Molly, it's going to be fun...”

Molly hoped he was right. 

Oswald returned to join them. 

The island was closer now, the dock was in sight. 

_The boat was heading for Shutter Island..._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As the passengers disembarked, Molly and the two men in her life left the boat first, followed by Jax and Josh, who stood guard as they waited for River and Victor, who nodded to the Generals and said, “ _You really don't need to be here. There was a time when the only hired gun the boss needed was me Seriously guys, if you want to have fun tonight, my eye is still on the ball. I can cover everyone if I'm needed...”_ then he put his arm around River as they stood there, looking up the steps that led to the large building that would have been an imposing ruin by moonlight, but was now lit up as a Halloween horror house.

“Wow, they did a great job with this place,” he said as he and River headed over to join Oswald. Victor pointed to the fake severed heads on spikes that alternated between flaming torches that led the way to the entrance where a sign above read, _Gates of Hell_.

“It certainly looks like a scary place! River exclaimed, “Is this one of those haunts where they have interaction, people can grab you and stuff like that?”

“Probably,” Victor replied, turning to River as he smiled playfully.

“I think _I_ might have to reach out and grab you in some dark corner for some _us_ time,” he told her as he leaned close to her ear.

“You want us to make out in that creepy old place? It's probably filled with rooms mocked up with blood and guts...”

The look on River's face as she contemplated it amused him greatly.

“You're probably right,” he told her as they walked over to join the others, “All the blood and guts would just remind me of the old days - it would be like just another day at work back when I was a hit man!”

River smiled as he put his arm around her, and they waited together with Oswald, Molly and Julian as Jax and Josh stood guard.

Herbert and Amy were the last to leave the boat, and they lingered back from the others as Amy turned to him, her heart aching as she felt caught up in her own web of deceit now she knew the truth about Herbert. He had been injecting his own Re Agent for thirty years or more. He said it helped him concentrate on his work. He said he had to take a shot every three months. He claimed it was safe. But she was worried, because something else was on her mind now. As she looked at him, she noticed how he didn't look his true age. He was in good shape, too, and she had always thought it was because he was one of those lucky guys who aged well and kept their looks and fitness. Maybe she was wrong about that... maybe it was the Re Agent...

“How come you don't look your age? You're over sixty and you don't look a day over fifty to me. And your body, it's in really good shape.... is it the Re Agent?”

Herbert looked back at her, then he paused for thought as he took hold of both her hands.

“Amy,” he said cautiously, “I'm a Lambrick. Even though I broke from the family and changed my name and went my own way in life, I still carry those genes. Look at Julian. He's in his late thirties and he doesn't look a day over twenty eight! Us Lambricks have great genes. It's nothing to do with the Re Agent, although in a way, some of it is... but I am my own study for that theory, I don't know anyone else who injects the stuff! I've used it since I was a student, back in the days when I was studying in Switzerland – way before I met and associated with Dr Dan Cain. And I don't inject it for a high. Re Agent is dangerous at high doses. I have a set dose I take every three months. I have to do that to stabilise and optimise myself for my _work_. Please believe me, I'm not a junkie.”

She started to smile.

“I guess I can't say anything against decades of use, there's nothing wrong with you,” she said, and Herbert smiled as he held her hands a little tighter.

“The thought of me being a junkie, “ he laughed, “I never would have got so far with my research!” he gave a chuckle, “Tell me something else that's funny, or shall we go and join the others?”

She was still smiling. They were standing together by the dock, holding hands as their gaze met, and now seemed like the best time, before they had fun on the island. She told him.

“ _I'm pregnant.”_

Herbert laughed harder. Then he saw the look on her face and abruptly stopped laughing as alarm registered in his gaze.

“No, you can't be!”

“I am,” Amy replied, “I'm having your baby, Herbert.”

He let go of her hands. The look of shock she saw in his eyes hit her hard with a realisation that he was horrified...

“You can't be,” he said again, “No, Amy... we can't have a baby!”

She thought of the little life inside her and felt a flicker of alarm.

“What's the matter? Why don't you want this baby?”

Herbert glanced over at the others, who were gathered a distance away. Now was not the right time and place to talk about any of this, there was so much Amy didn't know...

“You're sure the test was positive?” he asked.

“Well yeah, Herbert, obviously!”

He looked back at her, saying no more about his fears.

“We should join the others. We can talk more about this when we get home.”

He took her by the hand, leading her off to join those gathered at the foot of the steps, as she wondered why he seemed so silent all of a sudden.

Molly and Julian were standing either side of Oswald, and he had an arm around both of them, but he let go as a woman began to make her way down the steps, she wore a white leather suit that looked warmly insulated against the chill coming off the sea and as she came down to join them, the light caught on a diamond brooch she wore on her jacket. Her lips were painted red and her eyes were heavily shaded in dark blue, complimenting the mascara that framed her eyes, spidery and dark, matching her hair that was styled to fall to her collar in short, heavily styled waves. Oswald stepped forward and she shook his hand.

“Welcome to Shutter Island and the Gates of Hell experience,” she said, casting a glance about the group and then back to Oswald, “I am Carla Fen, your guide for the evening. The guests can go in after they have signed a form consenting to the experience -” she handed the forms to Amy, who gave them out to the others, and then she turned back to Oswald again, handing him a different form.

“This is just to confirm the private agreement and state that everything that happens in the East wing is consensual,” she added, lowering her voice.

“I don't have a pen,” said Julian, looking to the others, “Herbert, have you got a pen?”

He looked back at him in annoyance.

“Josh and Victor just asked me the same question,” he told him, “Just because I'm a scientist, _don't_ assume anything! I do _not_ carry a pen everywhere I go!”

“Here,” said Carla, and she handed the pen to Oswald, who signed the form, then Molly and Julian did the same as Julian started to smile.

“Oh yes, I consent to _everything!_ ” he said as excitement crept into his voice. 

By now, Molly was thinking about the evening that lie ahead, and she was starting to look forward to it so much that even the thought of Julian getting his hair shaved didn't upset her any more. This was his fantasy. He needed to live it his way...

Carla led them up the steps, it was a slow and gradual climb, reaching a slope that led up to the former asylum. But to Julian, it was still barely recognisable after all the changes that had happened over the years.

“Guests can go in through the main entrance,” she said, gesturing to the open gates where a devil sat above the sign glowing large and red as its pitchfork pointed skyward, “Please enter the main building through the front doors. And, Happy Halloween!”

Then she turned to Oswald and his husband and wife, who stood either side of him. As Jax and Josh lingered back and the others headed towards the main entrance, Josh spoke up.

“Sir, what do we do now?”

“Enjoy your evening,” Oswald replied indicating to the entrance of the Halloween haunt, “We are off to the private wing and may be gone for several hours.”

“Are you certain you don't need us?” asked Jax.

Oswald smiled at his oldest general, then to his youngest who stood beside him.

”Go, have some fun!” he urged, shooing them away with a wave of his hand.

Jax and Josh didn't need a second telling. Clearly, Oswald was ready for him and Molly to take Julian off for their private adventure. As his Generals walked off towards the entrance to the attraction, Oswald turned back to Carla, who indicated to a pathway around the side of the building, where the place was not decorated with Halloween props.

“This way, please.” She said, and led the way as Oswald and Molly linked hands with Julian, and the three of them followed her towards a door that led into the old East wing.

“Are we doing this all the way?” Oswald asked.

Molly tensed as they stepped through a doorway that was locked behind them. They were stood in a crumbling corridor where the lights above that should be bright were dim and cast shadows.

Julian looked from Molly to Oswald and nodded.

Oswald stood closer to Julian, put an arm around his shoulder and spoke into his ear as Carla stood back, now she had another paper in her hand, a checklist of exactly what was required for Julian's fantasy.

“Want me to do this like we said?” Oswald whispered.

Julian was shaky now, nervous and aroused at the same time as his face flushed and he breathed harder.

“ _Want me to fuck you up?”_

“ _Yes, Oswald..”_

“ _Want me to go all the way with it?”_

Julian turned to him, grabbed him and full on kissed him, then he drew back and took a shaky breath.

“Do it. I love you!”

“I love you too,” Oswald said, and he embraced him then as he let go, Molly did the same.

“It's okay, just remember the safe word,” she reminded him.

Now Carla had rejoined them.

“Everything on this list is still planned?”

Julian glanced at it and nodded.

“Everything,” he confirmed as he broke into a light sweat.

“And I want to confirm,” Oswald added, “Use the number three razor setting – don't shave his hair right off, he wants to hide his scars. And no needles, no rough handling that leads to deep bruising or draws blood. And if he uses the safe word, _everything_ stops until the situation is adjusted or comes to an end at my husbands request.”

She nodded.

“And the safe word -”

“Is Elijah Van Dahl, the name of Ozzie's late father,” Julian confirmed.

“Okay,” Carla said, “I will leave you here in the corridor. You will go to the end of it where a door is unlocked and play your part before he's taken inside and then he will be left for fifteen minutes until you enter the room. There are no cameras in there, and you can lock the door behind you and unlock it when you are done, and a member of staff will let you out the way you came in.”

Then she walked off, heading for the exit.

Molly and Oswald glanced at each other, and then Oswald turned to Julian, stroking his cheek tenderly.

“Are you ready?”

Julian nodded.

“You know this is only a game, my sweet Julian?”

He nodded again.

“And I'll say it again, you want to me to fuck you up? You want me to be rough?”

“Yes, Ozzie!”

They looked at each other. For a moment she thought she saw fear in Julian's eyes, then he took in a breath and said:

“ _Do it!”_

So he did.

Oswald grabbed him by his jacket and shoved him up against the wall as he glared at him.

“ _My slut wife says you've been fucking her. She said you never leave your cock alone, you horny little shit!”_

“I can't help it, Ozzie!” Julian gasped.

Oswald looked down his body, saw he was unmistakeably hard, it was visible through the fabric of his jeans.

He slapped his face.

Molly flinched.

But this was what Julian had wanted before the main event, to be dominated hard and harshly.

Oswald grabbed his face, leaning in as their eyes met.

“ _You've been licking my wife's cunt without my permission, fucking her, sucking on her tits!”_

“ _Yes, Ozzie!”_

“ _And that is why I'm leaving you here, you need to learn a hard lesson!”_ he said, and gave him a shove.

As Julian staggered back, Oswald made his way down the corridor as Molly followed, looking on.

“You'll never get out of here, Julian,” Oswald said darkly, “You're back in the asylum. Where you belong!”

He looked shaken and turned on at the same time. There was a faint red mark on his face where Oswald had slapped him. Ozzie grabbed him again, pulling him close as slapped him again, this time harder.

“ _You'll pay for fucking my wife!”_ he raged.

And the door opened and three women came out, they were wearing white rubber dresses and their faces were almost blank, covered by featureless Halloween masks. They dragged him into the room and left the door wide open and Molly and Oswald looked on as he resisted, but not too much, as they stripped off his clothing. He was visibly hard as he was put on a table and strapped down.

“ _Ozzie!”_ he yelled, _“Save me!”_

“No, Julian!” Oswald called back, “You have to learn a hard lesson!”

Molly stood beside Oswald, watching as a razor was switched on and run through Julian's hair, shaving it close, but not too close. Then another of the woman began to lube up a wide butt plug as another inserted gloved fingers into his ass, carefully stretching him open. Molly was undeniably aroused as she watched the plug eased inside him. His cock was rock solid and leaking but his legs were wide apart and he was restrained, desperate to come, but unable to touch himself. Julian was shaking and sweating with the intensity of it all. The women left the room and closed the door and walked off down the corridor. These were the sex workers Oswald had hired who specialised in bdsm, and they knew exactly how to do this right.

“Now we wait,” Oswald said, “Fifteen minutes. He wants to be on the brink of orgasm and left there, he wants to wait until it hurts.”

As he spoke, Molly saw his hand had disappeared beneath his waist, covered by his open coat as he rubbed at himself through his clothing.

“Tell me, Molly. You look turned on.”

Her eyes glazed with desire as she slipped a hand down the front of her jeans and into wetness as her clit began to swell.

“ _I want to see you fuck him! I want to see him come, Ozzie!”_

Oswald reached for her hand, drawing it out of her jeans, then he drew her two wet fingers to his mouth and gently sucked, tasting her before letting go.

“You will see him come,” he said, pulling her closer, “We both will!”

Then he kissed her deeply and she ran her fingers though his hair, her own body crying out for release at the thought of what lie ahead. It would be a night Julian would never forget.

Back at the Cobblepot mansion, Little Penguin ran excitedly down the hallway waving his flippers, his little vampire cape billowed out behind him and he had a huge smile on his face as he reached the front room, barging past the other kids as his father laughed and Selina told him to be careful. The large pumpkin basket toppled and spilled and he dived down, rolling in candy.

“All for Penguin!” he declared.

“Stop it, Penguin, don't be greedy!” said Felix, “We got a lot of candy tonight, there's enough for everyone.”

Little Penguin still had cake around his mouth after enjoying some of the treats laid out in the kitchen. Now he wanted to start on the trick or treat haul.

“It's going to be divided up equally,” Selina said, kneeling on the carpet to scoop up the candy. Little Penguin's flippers grabbed at the candy as he lay there laughing on his back.

“All for Penguin!”

His father stood there looking on, giving a gruff chuckle.

“That's my boy!” he said proudly, “You love your food, just like your old man!”

Then he had another slice of pumpkin pie and belched.

Iris hurried in and looked about the busy room.

“Where's the rest of the pumpkin pie?” she asked.

“It was delicious,” stated Penguin, handing her a large, empty plate as on the floor, Little Penguin laughed again and rolled on to his belly and unwrapped a candy bar.

Lucy had wandered out to the hallway, and Felix had followed her. Now she was standing there looking up thoughtfully at an old photograph of Daddy Oz, outside a bar called _Oswalds_ where an umbrella sign glowed neon.

“Dad looks so different there,” she said.

“He was a lot younger then,” Felix replied, “He was thirty four years old when he took over that place. It used to belong to Fish Mooney – just think, Luna's mom used to fight with our Dad!”

“It was so long ago,” Lucy said as she stood there, nine years old and thinking deeply, “Daddy Oz is getting old. That's why he's heavy and even I can't heal his knee these days, it keeps getting bad. I don't want him to get old.”

“Dad's okay,” Felix relied, “Don't worry about him.”

“But I do,” Lucy said, looking at the photo of the younger Oswald, slim and healthy and so proud of his brand new bar.

She followed her brother back to the front room. She was still thinking about Daddy Oz. One of her many gifts were kicking in strongly, that intuition she was blessed with was telling her something, and she didn't like it. She went up to Iris, who was clearing away some food from the table.

“Iris,” she said, and Iris paused and looked down at her.

“What is it Lucy?”

“I have a bad feeling about the place Mommy, Daddy and Daddy Oz went to visit tonight... I don't think it's very nice. I think it will be scary and I think Daddy Oz might get hurt.”

Iris looked at Lucy for a moment and then smiled kindly. For all her gifts, Lucy was still a kid and they hadn't explained exactly what they would be doing that evening, certainly not to the children.

“It's going to be _fun_ scary,” she told her, “It's a haunted house for grown ups. Too scary for kids. I think that's why you're worried. But its not real, Lucy. Halloween is fun!”

Lucy shook her head.

“I don't think it will be for them,” she said quietly, and then she walked away to join the other kids before Iris could ask any questions.

While Molly and Oswald waited for fifteen minutes before joining Julian to ensure he was suitably desperate to come, the others had entered the Halloween haunt. The entrance to the building went off in two directions, and Amy had grabbed Herbert's hand, leading off down a corridor lined with fake plants with leaves that snapped and writhed along the walls as they gave off an eerie glow. Josh had looked in that direction and chuckled, thinking Ivy would certainly have something to say about the fake killer plants if she had been here. Jax gave him a nudge with his elbow and indicated to the other corridor where fake blood splashed the walls.

“It's the Forest of Doom or the Hallway to Hell?” said Josh as he read the signposts.

“And it's the corridor for us,” said Jax, I've got a feeling about that place... the most gruesome roads may lead to wonderful destinations! Let's go.”

Josh gave a sigh. Jax was heading off for the corridor where lights stuttered on and off, and before he followed, he drew out his cell phone to call Selina.

_No signal._

“Fuck!” he said, then he put his phone away and hurried to catch up with Jax.

And as he left the entrance, the doors locked and shutters came down on the windows, sealing them in the building.

From an observation room on the upper level, Izak Coffinwood sat with a cold beer in his hand, chuckling at the sight of the hidden camera in the East wing, showing the image of Julian restrained on a table. He was naked and Oswald had drawn a large butt plug from his ass, and swiftly replaced it with his lubed fist as Julian yelled out and struggled, his cock rock solid. Molly was naked now, and she had a great body. She was sitting on Julian's face and throwing her head back as he ate her pussy and Oswald fisted his ass.

Hands slid down Izak's shoulders and he glanced up to see Carla, his partner in crime, standing behind him. He knew her touch so well and right now, it was sensual through the fabric of his suit.

“I thought I might watch them fucking before we kill them,” he said.

A wicked smile came to her lips as she looked in fascination at the screen.

“What an excellent idea.” she replied.

In the East wing, Oswald pushed his fist a little deeper, then drew back, watching Julian's ass stretch wider. He gave a moan and trembled and that moan went right through Molly's sex as she gave a gasp, coming hard and soaking his face. Oswald knew his wife had just come, and he wanted to do so much more for her, but she was off Julian now and kissing him as he trembled and tensed and the restraints bit deep and bruised his wrists. She stepped back, leaning against a wall as she watched Ozzie working his magic on Julian's ass. He drew out his fist and Julian looked stretched, _so_ stretched as Ozzie tugged at his zip, then adjusted the table, making part of it fold down, leaving his wide open ass lined up perfectly.

“You're not coming yet,” Oswald ordered, and he thrust into Julian, then his cock – his _big_ cock – slipped out of the stretched hole as Julian gave a moan and Oswald looked down at him, his eyes dark with desire.

“I told you I'd fuck you up tonight. You should see how wide open you are... and this cock will make it even worse...”

“ _Ozzie, fuck me!”_ Julian begged.

His whole body was shining with sweat, his cock was leaking and he was balanced on the edge, unable to find relief. Oswald thrust in again, taking care. He didn't want to hit the right spot and make Julian lose control. He fucked him slowly and carefully, and he moaned loudly with every thrust. Molly wrapped her arms around Oswald as he trembled, coming with a soft cry as he pumped warm into his husband's ass. Oswald withdrew from him, paused to catch his breath and tidied his clothing once more, then turned to Molly and kissed her.

“ _Please make me come!”_ Julian begged.

Oswald turned to a nearby table, where Molly knew exactly what to do.

“No, you're stuck here forever, Julian,” she said as she reached for a larger, wider butt plug and began to lube it up.

Julian was shaking as sweat ran down his smooth body. Oswald leaned over him, carefully closed his hand about his cock and shifted it aside, baring his public mound, then gave him a hard, bruising love bite that made Julian cry out sharply, it left a livid mark behind and Oswald gently let go of his cock again, giving his ass a sharp slap as punishment for trying to thrust upward.

“No yet,” he reminded him “This is your punishment, forever. You will never get out of here, Julian.”

Molly handed him the plug. Julian tensed and cried out as he slid it in with ease, but the widest part took a few minutes as Oswald slowly and carefully waited for his fucked and fisted ass to open up wider still. Then the plug went in and Julian moaned and fought his bonds as his cock ran with pre cum and frustration burned in his eyes. The marks around his wrists were livid. Julian gave a sob and Molly felt a flicker of alarm.

“You just take that for a while,” Oswald told him, “Take it, my little bitch. You're in this asylum forever. I'm going to wreck that ass of yours.”

Julian whined and trembled, and then gave a quiet sob.

“Ozzie,” Molly said quietly, “Is he okay? Is he freaking out?”

Oswald quickly limped to the other end of the table, running a hand over his cropped hair as Julian looked up at him.

“Do we need to stop? It's okay, sweet Julian. If this is too much -”

“No, no. I don't want to stop.” Julian gave another sob, “I _never_ want it to stop, it's so good!!”

“Okay,” Oswald said tenderly, and he wiped away his tears then gave his nipple a sharp pinch, making Julian tense all over again.

In the main building, Herbert and Amy had reached the end of the vine covered pathway, it led to an area where it was dark and lit by red neon, and figures in dark clothing with their faces hidden beneath heavy hoods stood ready for riders to sit in linked cars. The ride headed into a tunnel. A lot of work had gone into this place, and clearly, that ride led to another part of the haunt. Victor and River had already sat in the front car, and Herbert and Amy sat in the one behind them as the operator looked from the controls to the corridor.

“There's no more,” said Amy, “the others went another way.”

The operator started the ride and the cars shifted off along a track, into a tunnel where lights alternated from red to darkness and back again as laughter sounded demonic in the background.

“ _Welcome to the river of hell!”_ said a demonic voice that filled the air, and the ride began to slowly climb upward.

Victor chuckled.

“River of hell!”

“Very funny,” River replied with a smile, and then Victor put his arm around her, ready to enjoy the trip.

In the car behind River and Victor, Amy turned to Herbert.

“We need to talk, Herbert!”

He shot her a glance as the red light flashed on and off and on again and mist filled the tunnel as hands clawed out of the walls, reaching for the ride.

“Not here, not now!” Herbert said firmly.

“Bullshit, we need to talk, why don't you just tell me why you're so against it?”

“I don't understand why it happened in the first place!” Herbert snapped, “or did you plan this?”

“Does it matter now?”

“ _Yes it does, Amy!”_

Victor turned around in his seat.

“This is supposed to be the river of hell, _not_ the river of marital discord! Could you wait until you get home to do the domestic stuff? We just want to enjoy the ride!”

Just then the slope took a downward turn and the cars plunged into darkness, before lights came on and off and flickered and mist rose as they passed by red coloured water either side of the track where more hands reached up, scraping at the cars as River gave a shriek and Victor laughed. Herbert sat there uninterested, reflecting on how basic all of this was, and how nothing was more important than his work – except perhaps the fact that Amy never should have got pregnant, because there was something she just didn't know yet...

The cars came to a halt where the area led to open space, lights were on and shone about a view of a deserted mocked up town where signs read _Danger_ and _Zombies_. They got out of the cars and looked about the place, seeing no ride operator at his end of the tack – and certainly no zombies, either...

“This place should be crawling with zombies to chase us,” Victor said, and he was the first to step outside and look about as he took in the sight of the mocked up shop fronts partly destroyed with fake blood and fake corpses littering the place. River joined him as Amy and Herbert caught up.

“This is weird,” River said, “Where are the staff?”

Herbert looked about the place.

“Maybe they cut back because Oswald invited a very small party. He must have paid enough for this place, but a small party doesn't need the same kind of workforce as an open public venue.”

“Maybe...” Victor sensed an odd feeling that caution was required as he began to lead the way down a path that cut through the zombie town, and all around them, nothing stirred but fake bodies in rags fixed to railings and shop fronts as the breeze fluttered their clothing.

“There should be someone here!” River exclaimed, “What if we got lost?”

“Sign posts,” said Amy, indicating to a wooden stake in the ground, it towered over them with signs pointing to Ghost Land and Dead Trail.

“I say we head through the shortcut to Ghost Land,” Victor said, “The signs point to the building.”

“Maybe they are running a skeleton crew and they are all inside,” River agreed as they began to walk towards the building where a second set of doors stood wide open, “It's a cold night and we're a small party, it makes sense...”

They walked through the short cut, noticing a wider open area where a horror themed fun fair was set up. But the place was empty. They went through the opened doors, re entering the building, here the floor was tiled black and white and the paint was peeling from the faded white walls. A reception desk looked forty years out of date and it was deserted. Amy and Herbert followed them inside.

_The doors closed with a crash as a heavy lock slid into place._

Herbert laughed as the others stared at the locked doors.

“That's more like it!” he said, clapping his hands together, “Don't you see? It's an escape adventure – I'm willing to bet the doors on the other side of the building are locked too! _Now_ the fun begins!”

As if on cue, metal shutters slammed down on the windows.

“What the fuck...” Amy whispered.

“It's the old security system to lock down the building,” Victor guessed, “They must have thought it would be a cool addition to the auto locking doors... now, I think we should follow the corridor and see where it leads – the Halloween experience starts here!”

And he led the way as River followed, and Herbert and Amy took up the rear.

On the other side of the building, Jax and Josh had negotiated a corridor of blood, followed by another corridor where people bumped and thumped about - all animated prop figures that rattled bars in windows.

“It's very quiet,”Jax remarked, leading the way, “And certainly not the kind of experience I was hoping for!”

Josh chuckled.

“Not a stripper in sight. Sorry Jax! Not a boys night at all... and I still can't get a signal on my phone.”

“Neither can I,” Jax replied, “We're not that far from the mainland... maybe something is blocking it. Perhaps that's deliberate, to amplify the isolation of this old place... it _is_ creepy here.”

The two men walked on, stopping to see a carefully set up scene where bursts of flame shot from a cannister as a guard tried to subdue a crazy, blood soaked inmate. But they were all dummies.

“No people,” Josh said, “It's odd. Did they send the staff home when Oswald said he wanted a private party?”

“Maybe, I guess they wanted to save money,” Jax replied.

Josh walked on ahead, then stopped as Jax walked up to join him. He took out his phone and held it up, still getting no signal.

“This is weird. No signal? What about safety? Surely phone signals shouldn't be cut off.”

Jax frowned.

“Maybe it's the area we are in – we should carry on up the corridor, it heads one way and it looks empty but I'm sure it leads somewhere.”

There were a series of crashes as metal shutters locked down the windows, covering the bars and the glass and the view of the outside.

Jax and Josh exchanged a glance.

“If this is part of the entertainment, they should have said it was an escape game,” Jax said.

“There was nothing like that in the details,” Josh replied.

For a moment neither man spoke, both feeling unsettled by the sudden change in the atmosphere.

“Let's follow the corridor,” Josh added, “Maybe we'll get some answers.”

Jax nodded and they walked on.

_Then they got their answer._

_The floor gave way beneath them, and both men yelled out as they dropped into darkness below._

For a moment, Josh felt dazed. He picked himself up from the floor as lights flickered on and Jax groaned, pushed his artificial arm back in place at the shoulder and gratefully grabbing his hand as Josh helped him up. He paused to rub at his shoulder. A trickle of blood ran from a small cut to his head. Jax wiped it away as anger fired up in his dark eyes.

“This is _not_ a game!” he said as realisation dawned, “It's a trap, this whole place is a trap, we have to get out of here and find the others – the Cobblepots are priority!”

Josh felt a brief wave of panic.

_This was a trap?_

“He spent months planning this,” Josh said, “the place, the time the date, the deal to have the whole place to himself... they're in the East wing! What about the others? River is on the other side of the complex!”

Jax thought fast.

“Priority number one,” he said as he looked about the metallic room and up at the ceiling trap door above, “Is guarding the Cobblepots from harm. Oswald, Molly and Julian come first. We have to assume they are being held somewhere, and certainly, still on the island - I haven't heard any choppers fly over, and that would be the fastest route out if this was a kidnap.... the others may be wandering the attraction at no risk. If there's a trap here, it's for the head of the underworld, not his daughter or Herbert West and his wife - and Victor Zsasz has been running the Iceberg Lounge for twenty years with no incident. He stopped being a hit man long ago. It's Oswald, he's the target. We have to get out of here and get to the East wing.”

Josh looked about the rusty metal walls that reflected nothing but grime as the light above shone down.

“How do we get out?” he exclaimed, looking about the empty room.

“We just need to figure this out, it's been designed to trap us, it was put together, so there must be a way to take it apart. There has to be some kind of maintenance hatch somewhere...”

The walls grated, and then they moved, so did the ceiling as it began to slide down. It stopped just above their heads, then they both fell to the floor as the walls and ceiling shrank more, leaving them in a cramped space. There was a ticking somewhere, and the grating sound stopped.

Josh and Jax were crammed close together, both men on their knees as Josh took a deep breath tried to stay calm, his hand was pressed above his head, as if he thought he could hold back that mechanism once it started up again. He knew he couldn't. He thought of Selina and Ivy and the kids.

“Hey,” Jax said as determination burned in his gaze and he set a hand on his shoulder, “Don't give up, Josh. There's always a way, and we are going to find it!”

“We'd better,” Josh said as he looked above that the metal folded in and threatening to crush them at any second, “We need to find the others – and I have a family I need to see again!”

Jax thought of Carol and Alicia, at home and believing he was off enjoying a night of entertainment courtesy of Oswald.

“So do I, Josh,” he said with determination as he looked to the ceiling to find a weak spot, “So do I!”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Julian was on the brink of orgasm as Oswald fucked him for a second time. Molly had never felt so aroused as Ozzie lost control, she saw him tremble as he thrust in, deeply, then he gave a sigh and after a moment to recover, separated from Julian. The sight of Julian's ass after so much heavy attention, watching the way his hole closed up – _almost_ closed, after all that stretching, was enough to make Molly want to come again, but instead she watched, in awe of her husband's control, the way he wielded his domination so skilfully over Julian as he ran his fingertips over the smooth skin above his rock solid cock and Julian shuddered.

“I think its time for release, Julian...”

Oswald ran a fingertip up the shaft of his cock, and Julian gave a cry and shivered again.

“ _Ozzie!”_

“I know, sweet Julian,” he said softly, and then he gripped his cock and gave three firm, harsh jerks as Julian cried out and his come pumped out, spurting over Oswald's hand in gush after gush. He was still giving moans of pleasure as the last of his climax was spent, then Oswald turned away and cleaned himself up and zipped up his pants and put his jacket back on.

“I hope this place has a seating area,” he said with a chuckle, “I could do with a sit down after all this excitement – although I doubt Julian will be able to sit down for a long while without thinking about this night!

Molly smiled, but as she looked at Julian, he gave a sob.

“ _I love you both so much!”_ he wept.

Molly opened up the restraints on his wrists. There were livid red marks where the straps had cut in. Oswald was leaning over the table, embracing Julian as he spoke softly to him and they shared a kiss.

Molly had finished freeing him from the restraints, and then she reached for a blanket folded on a table nearby and covered him with it, knowing Julian needed to feel warm and rested after such an intense ordeal.

“Was it worth it?” she asked as she looked down at him.

He smiled up at her and Ozzie.

“Yes, it was perfect,” he said, and gave a tired sigh, “I need a little while here, let me rest.”

“I'll go and find the staff and tell them were done here,” Oswald said, “Molly, stay with Julian.”

She had sat on the edge of the table, pausing to kiss Julian softly before running her hand over his cropped hair.

“I'll help you get dressed when Ozzie gets back,” she said, and Julian nodded. He still felt worn out from the intensity of the experience – and it had been great. He was sure this old place would no longer hold thoughts of fear for him now, not after all that had just happened.

Oswald unlocked the door and left the room then looked about, but saw no sign of any staff in the corridor. But he did notice something else, and the sight of it made his eyes go wide:

The locked door was sealed. Shutters had come down over it. The reinforced windows were no longer visible, too – shutters had closed down over all of them.

“What is this...” he murmured as he reached for his gun and then remembered, he had not brought a weapon with him because he had not thought a personal weapon would be needed. Jax and Josh coming along and carrying guns had simply been part of the off soil protocol, this deal had been made a year ago to hire the asylum, it had all been carefully planned, he had checked out the owners and found them to be a respected company who had held many Halloween haunt venues over the past few years. Everything had checked out...

But clearly, _something_ had changed...

He turned back to the door, heading for the room where Molly and Julian waited. As he went inside, Julian was getting dressed, he was buttoning up his shirt, his shoes and jeans were back on and Molly had just handed him his jacket. As he slipped it on he smiled at Oswald.

“That was fucking wild, Ozzie. What's wrong?”

He had seen the look on his face and now Molly had seen it too.

“Ozzie?” she said, “What's going on?”

“The doors and windows are solidly locked down, we can't get out the way we came in,” he replied, “There was nothing about locking down the building in the details of the entertainment supplied for the evening. There's no escape rooms or locked rooms – this shouldn't be happening.”

Julian felt a flicker of alarm.

“Shit, why are we locked in?”

Molly could feel adrenaline start to rise. Something was very wrong here. Ozzie was right, no mention had been made of any part of the building locking down tonight...

“It's okay, Julian,” Molly said, “I'm sure it's a misunderstanding – maybe it locked down accidentally, it's an old building and that system would have been in place when it was an asylum, maybe someone accidentally activated it.”

“I don't think so,” Oswald said in a hushed voice as his blue eyes fired up with suspicion, “We need to find a way back to the main entrance, I need to alert Jax and Josh.”

“They probably already know,” Molly reminded him, “If this was activated accidentally, it would affect every part of the building.”

“We're trapped in here?” Julian looked at her in panic.

“Perhaps we just need to alert the staff, it could be an electrical glitch,” Oswald assured him, “But our first move is to find Jax and Josh, just in case...”

“In case of what?” Julian demanded, but neither Ozzie nor Molly replied as they left by the open doorway and Julian followed.

Josh was crouched low in the shrunken room, and as the walls had closed in and the ceiling rushed downward, Jax jammed up against him, very little movement was possible, his arm was starting to ache from pressing against that ceiling as Jax looked above their heads, and then he noticed something.

“I think it's on a timer... listen.”

They both listened, hearing the ticking of a mechanism.

“I don't know how much time we have before the walls move again, but I'm guessing they will crush us and contract back the former size of the room,” Jax told him.

“I need you to be a bit more hopeful here – we could have seconds left!” Josh was sweating as he let go of the ceiling, knowing that pressing against it was pointless.

Jax looked up again, studying the way the ceiling had lowered, the metal sheets crossing over.

“I have a plan, he said, “I'm thinking, there's a gap that runs along the centre but we can't get through it. But if I got _into_ it...”

He glanced at Josh, who looked back at the tall, portly General in confusion The gap above them was barely enough to fit an arm through...

“How?”

Jax reached for his shoulder, pressing the mechanism that held his artificial arm in place, then as Josh twisted and Jax shifted to tug, the arm slid free of the sleeve of his suit.

“I'll need your help,” Jax said, “here's the plan...”

Molly and Oswald had taken a dim corridor that led away from the East wing, if there had ever been maps or signposts in this place they were long gone, but they had a guide far better than any map – Julian was a former inmate.

“Which way now?” Molly asked as they reached a corridor where it forked off in two different directions. Julian looked about the route ahead, thinking hard.

“I wasn't held here on the East wing, but I do know there's a route that leads from the padded cell area into the part where the wing ends, then we go through to staff areas but there's locked doors when we get there.”

“What about the other way?” Oswald asked.

Julian glanced at his husband.

“It's a long walk, but there used to be a recreational room all the way down the left corridor... from there, I know there's access to the upper floor. It used to be a staff door, there's a private stairway that goes up to the top.”

“And then what?” asked Molly.

Julian shook his head.

“I don't know, I never got to go up there.”

Molly checked her phone. No signal.

“Don't bother,” Oswald told her, “We've all tried that many times, Molly. They're blocking the phone signals. Who ever set this up wanted to trap us. But I have no clue why.”

“You haven't pissed any one off, you don't have any enemies out there at this time,” Julian added, “Why would someone do this, Ozzie?”

He slowly shook his head. He had no clue why anyone would want to lure them into this old building and then trap them like rats.

“When I find the person who did this, I'll kick their fuckin' arse!” Molly said as anger burned in her eyes.

“Rest assured I will deal with them and their associates,” Oswald told her, “It's pretty clear I'm the target – we need to find a way out and find the others before we start asking ourselves why, that can wait until we're off this island.”

“Oh god, River and Amy...” said Molly.

“They have Victor,” Oswald reminded her as he limped on, following Julian as they headed down the left corridor where lights burned dim and led to a large empty space that used to be a recreation room, “And my Generals. But I think I know why they offered to allow a party to visit the attraction They wanted to separate us! I think they are safe for now – it's me they're after.”

“This is my fault!” Julian grew tearful as he looked to Oswald, “I never should have agreed to this – it's Ashecliffe, what the fuck should I expect from coming back to this place but more shit, this time for all of us?”

“Stop it!”

Oswald reached for him, placing his hands on his shoulders as he looked into his eyes.

“We had a plan for tonight and clearly, someone else found out and took over – someone who wants revenge. It has to be about me, Julian – if it wasn't this place, a trap would have been set elsewhere! It's not this building, it's not the island. It's just circumstance.”

Julian nodded as he blinked away tears.

“It's going to be okay,” Molly promised him.

Then they heard the sound of heavy boots running towards them from the end of a darkened corridor, heading for the recreation room, and another sound had just filled the air. It was the sound of buzzing chainsaws.

“What the fuck?” Molly said, as they looked about in the dimly lit room.

Then they loomed into sight, two men in dirty clown costumes, their faces painted garish and both armed with chainsaws.

“I think we can take it these ain't fake!” Molly said as she threw off her jacket and turned towards the aggressors.

“Stand back, Julian!” Oswald told him, as he wielded his cane towards the armed men. Julian darted off to a shadowy corner, fear reflecting in his eyes. There was no where to run and the clowns were charging at Molly and Oswald...

As the sound of buzzing chainsaws filled the air, Molly ducked the blade and kicked the attacker square in the groin. He doubled over and as the chainsaw hit the tiles and sparks flew and the blade began to slide, still buzzing, she jumped over it, turned back and kicked the clown square in the jaw. Her attacker fell and she grabbed the chainsaw, raising it up as she saw Ozzie was trying to block off the second man by wedging his cane between the clown and the chainsaw, the blade was angled tight beside him, biting into the wall as plaster spit and stone began to jar the blade. Ozzie's back was to the wall and he was using all his strength to try and hold him off.

“ _Watch out, Ozzie!”_ she yelled, plunging the whirring blade into the back of the attacker, the blades bit through flesh and bone as the clown's mouth opened and blood spilled out. As the chainsaw hit the ground it cut out and Oswald stepped aside as the body slid from Molly's blade and hit the floor with a wet thud.

“We need to get that door open,” Molly said, and Oswald nodded, stepping aside as he brushed guts from his suit and she headed for the locked door, taking the chainsaw to its hinges.

Julian looked on, still in the corner. Oswald beckoned to him and he ran over, feeling safe with Ozzie's arm around him as Molly stood there in a white vest spattered with blood as she took the saw to the lock. Wood splintered and metal sparked on metal, then she laid the saw aside and gave a kick. The door caved in and fell with a thud, and Molly turned back to Oswald and Julian who saw a stairway beyond it.

“Onwards and upwards,” she said breathlessly, and then picked up the heavy chainsaw and led the way as the two men in her life followed.

On the other side of the building, where the place was dressed up for Halloween, Herbert and Amy had followed River and Victor into what had been set up as a small bar area. The bar was stocked, the place looked to be covered with fake cobwebs and a glitter ball turned on the ceiling, casting an eerie glow as it caught the shades of the green and purple spotlights above.

“Shall we stop for drinks?” said Victor.

“No,” Amy replied as she gave a shiver, “You don't get it... those shutters that locked us in, I remember them from my time in this place. I don't think it's part of the entertainment.”

Herbert laughed.

She turned to him in annoyance.

“Is everything I say wrong these days?”

“Oh please, not again!” Victor exclaimed.

“I guess the only way to find out is to find a member of staff,” River added, “There must be someone working here – we met Ms Fen on the way in.”

“And you're quite right, of course,” said Carla Fen as she entered the room by a door behind the bar, and she smiled at the guests, who had no clue Izak was currently having great fun, putting Oswald and his spouses through hell on the other side of the complex. His Generals had been dealt with, the rest of his guests would be shot later, after Izak had finished off the Cobblepots...

“Why are the windows and doors locked down?” Victor asked as he sat on a bar stool and River sat beside him.

“Part of the entertainment,” Carla Fen lied, “They unlock when you've finished the experience. We are low on staff, but that's because Mr Cobblepot insisted on keeping this place quiet and discreet, he didn't want to risk security by letting too many people know the head of the Gotham underworld was visiting. Now, can I get you a drink? It's on the house.”

“Yes please!” said Herbert as he stood at the bar, and Amy gave a sigh as she took a seat at a table nearby, feeling trapped and now crowded by too many memories of her time here as a prisoner. It was the shutters on the windows that had done it, and now she just wanted to get on the boat and go home...

Fen was serving the drinks now.

The guests were relaxing. None of them had a clue what was happening on the other side of the facility...

As they crouched together, trapped in the cramped space, the ticking stopped.

“Get ready!” said Jax, and Josh reached forward, helping Jax to push the artificial arm into the space above them and push it up until it jammed. The two men exchanged a glance.

“You really think this will work?”

“It had better, Josh...”

Jax glanced up. Through the gap, they saw a flickering light on the ceiling above, “The ceiling didn't come down. The floor went _up_ as the room shrank to a box. If this doesn't stall the mechanism long enough, this box could plummet down with us inside it, a bit like tumbling down an elevator shaft with the cables cut. And we won't fall the height of the room. It will be much deeper, there's mechanisms under and around us to make this trap work. As soon as I get the trap open, we have to get out... the floor is above us, you can see the lights up on the ceiling.”

Josh felt a glimmer of hope as he saw the lights and recalled seeing them before, but then the ticking stopped.

Jax and Josh looked at each other.

“This is it!” said Jax.

The ceiling began to grow closer as the walls tightened and Josh helped Jax hold the artificial arm in place, where the toughened shoulder connection was broadest. As the sliding plates above closed about it, the box shuddered and Jax and Josh shook with it, then sparks flew and the gap above began to open as a sound was heard like a mechanism winding backwards.

“ _GET OUT NOW!”_ Jax yelled.

Josh scrambled up to the floor above, hauled himself out and reached down, Jax grabbed his hand, struggling with his portly build to fit through the gap. It inched wider, and Jax pulled himself up as Josh reached for him, helping him out as below, the box plunged downward as a mechanism spun backwards, and hit the ground far beneath the floor with a distant crash. The two men exchanged a glance.

“That was close!” Jax exclaimed, then he scrambled to his feet and paused to tuck his empty sleeve inside his jacket before reaching for his weapon.

Josh already had his gun drawn.

“We've got to find the Cobblepots!” Jax said, and he and Josh hurried off up the corridor, staying close to the wall, away from any more possible floor traps.

Izak Coffinwood glared at the monitor. The system had already told him that the floor trap had been compromised, and now he saw them on the screen, Oswald's two Generals, armed and heading down a corridor.

“How the fuck did they manage that? I thought I squashed his henchmen like bugs!” he fumed.

He drummed his fingers on the desk and then looked to the controls. His hand hovered over the panel as he sat there in the tower and then he looked to the other monitors. This place was vast, he had not set up CCTV everywhere – he had assumed the Generals would be easy to kill, and those men with chainsaws had been sent in to take out Molly and Julian leaving Oswald alone and trapped... but the guys had not reported back to him and there was no camera in the rec room.

“I never thought you'd get that far...” he murmured and then he turned up the volume, listening as Molly, Julian and Oswald's voices could be heard on the floor below:

“ _We got the door open,” Molly said, “And the staircase leads to the next floor, not the top, Julian!”_

“ _How was I supposed to know that, I was an inmate, not staff!”_

“ _Let's just see what we can find here,” Oswald said, “There must be a way to the control tower.”_

“ _I want to know who's doing this,” Molly fumed, “I want to know what they want!”_

Izak began to smile. He watched as they turned a corner on the stairwell and started to climb again, and the wall at the back of the stairwell slid back. Izak hit a button and laughed as the steps folded to a slope and the three of them tumbled backwards sharply. Hands reached out, grasping at Oswald, dragging him into the concealed space beyond, and then the wall slid back again.

Molly was beyond the view of the camera. Then she crawled on her hands and knees back to the stairwell, blinking as she shook off the shock of the fall. Julian was picking himself up from the slope, he had tumbled face down. Molly had been thrown further down, neither of them had seen Oswald's abduction.

“Where's Ozzie?” she said, giving Julian a shake.

He looked at her wide eyed.

“I don't know!”

“Ozzie?” said Molly.

“ _OZZIE!”_ yelled Julian.

They both started to shout for him, and made their way back down the stairs, then they came up again, and stopped, exchanging a glance as they realised the steps had been a trap – now the slope was gone, the stairs were back in place.

“I need to find Oswald,” Molly said.

Julian looked at her in alarm.

”Don't leave me here alone!”

Molly looked up the stairway, then back down.

“Those steps are rigged! If you go up there, you'll be walking into worse.”

“But we might find a way out!”

“You know nothing about the upper level!”

“Neither do you!” Julian reminded her, “And I'm fucking scared and I want to get out and if you go back down there, that could be a trap too! This whole building is a trap and I'm willing to bet who ever took Ozzie is above us, not below!”

They were still talking and Izak was watching on the screen. He chuckled as he watched Molly take Julian's hand, then they decided to head back down as Molly said something about finding Oswald, and he had to be down there somewhere, as they couldn't be sure he had been taken anywhere...

“Maybe he was hurt in the fall, we have to find him, he's got to be down here,” Izak heard Molly say now she was out of view of the camera.

“I still think he's somewhere up there!” Julian insisted, then their voices faded out.

Then Izak turned from the screens and leaned back in his seat as a look of satisfaction came to his eyes. By now, his men had brought Oswald up to the top floor, he was sweating hard and bleeding from a cut to his brow, and they had tied him securely to a chair. Oswald blinked slowly, shaking the haze from his mind as his head ached as he recalled falling and being dragged, putting up a fight as the world around him went dark... He realised he was tied up. He looked in murderous fury to the man responsible for this: Izak Coffinwood.

“So I've been snatched by Gotham city's biggest ever failed drug pusher? How disappointing. I was hoping for a worthy opponent!” snapped Oswald.

Coffinwood smirked as he looked back at him.

“Oh, _that_... yes, it was a bit of a mess, especially for the people who took the fucked up batch. By the way, how is your crippled son?”

Oswald struggled in vain as murder shone bright in his ice blue eyes.

“ _I'll kill you for this!”_ he raged.

Carla Fen entered the room and smiled at the sight of Izak tormenting Oswald, who was tied up and unable to do a thing about it.

Then he got up and walked over to Oswald, dismissing his armed guards who left the room to wait outside as Fen joined him. Something silver glinted in her hand. Oswald's eyes widened as he saw her hand it to Izak:

It was an open razor.

“The rest of the guests,” Izak mused as he held the blade up to the light and watched it catch on the razor's edge, “Are safe – for now. Your guests will be shot come morning. I'm letting them wander the haunted house tonight, they think nothing is amiss. Amusingly, they actually think the lock down was part of an escape theme!”

He chuckled then stopped abruptly as he thought about his plans for the others.

“I'm enjoying watching Molly and Julian run about this place like rats in a trap. Your security men are giving me problems, but that's temporary. I've sent a team to take them out. Molly is something of a bigger problem. She killed two of my men. I don't doubt Julian will scream when it's his turn – he certainly made enough noise when you both fucked him! Yes Oswald... I watched!”

Oswald spat in his face.

Izak drew back, grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face, then he cast it aside and moved as a blur as his fist connected with Oswald's cheek.

“For a respected man, you show _me_ no respect!” he said bitterly.

Oswald's head hung forward, he was dazed and his cheek throbbed, but he raised his head again and glared at him.

“You're just a small time crook who tried to make it big and screwed up! You can't show your face in Gotham City again, too many people want to lynch you over the poison you spread on the streets! I'm not the only one who wants revenge, Izak. Many people want your blood and it's only a matter of time!”

“I want you out of the way, Oswald. You're the only one I have to worry about – because your son fucked himself up on my pills. Once you're gone the city is a wide open playground for me. I can start again, I'm not afraid of the other gang bosses. I have powerful connections here off home soil – I set up in Gotham to take over, not to start out! I'm respected by many as Bane's son!”

“Why such an elaborate trap? Why not just send a hit man to kill me?” Oswald demanded.

Izak laughed darkly.

“Why such an elaborate trap? Why not, Oswald? It's fun!”

Then Oswald's eyes flashed with fear as Izak grabbed at his face, pressed the razor to his cheek and drew it downwards, slicing a thin, bloody line that oozed red as Oswald screamed.

On the floor below, Jax and Josh had stopped walking abruptly as armed men rounded the corner and opened fire. They ducked and Jax headed back down the corridor, bullets punched the walls as Josh weaved the line of fire, and they rounded the corner as Josh stood tight to the wall and Jax did the same, holding his gun in his only hand as they stood breathless and waiting.

“Come out, you're trapped,” called the gunman who walked ahead of the rest, his weapon raised, “Do this nicely, and we'll make it a clean kill. I'm sure you know how drawn out and painful kills can be... you don't want it to end like that, fellas. Come out from there, Generals to the Penguin. It's over!”

Josh exchanged a glance with Jax as he waited, clutching the weapon tightly. They had both been trained for this kind of situation. Now was the perfect time to use that training...

“You take the left, I'll take the right,” Jax whispered.

Josh nodded.

“Last chance!” called the gunman.

Josh and Jax rounded the corner, their weapons crossed as shot after shot was fired off, hitting the gunman, then as others fired back they switched places, tight to the wall, guns aimed at opposing sides of the corridor as they sprayed lead in both directions. Four more bodies fell.

The walls were a mess of bullet holes. Josh had ducked and rolled on the last shot, and now he got up and brushed dust from his clothing as he surveyed the mess of bullet holes and bleeding corpses as the felled gunman littered the corridor.

“Now _that's_ a clean kill!” said Jax, and he blew smoke from the muzzle of his gun and exchanged a glance with Josh.

“Let's find the Cobblepots!” he added, and Josh nodded, then with their guns still drawn they ventured further down the corridor, listening out, ready for more trouble.

On the other side of the building, where the place was dressed up as a Halloween haunt, Herbert West stood alone, looking thoughtfully at a window where metal shutters barred the view of the sea beyond the island. Victor and River had gone off in search of some kind of clue to getting out of this place. Herbert was thinking about the electrical controls to the lock down system. The nerve centre had to be above... all the shut down windows were identical, all set up to close down on the lower levels of the complex. There were none on the top floor where the control tower was based.

“I think we have to find a way up,” he said thoughtfully, and as Amy joined him, he saw worry in her eyes.

“I don't like it here,” she said as she tensed, “It reminds me too much of the bad old days... those shutters! I need to get out!”

Her reached for her, rubbing at the arm of her coat in a comforting gesture.

“Amy, we have a life together now. The past is far behind you.”

She glanced down the corridor. They were alone here.

“I guess River and Victor either went to look for a way out or they went back to see if the bar is still open,” she replied, “Maybe now were alone, we can talk about something to take my mind off this place. Maybe we should talk about the baby.”

Herbert gave a heavy sigh. Ever since she had told him the news he knew this was coming. The truth would have to be told. His eyes widened as he looked at her intently.

“And maybe now is the time to explain something to you that I hoped I would never have to reveal!”

“What do you mean?” she asked in confusion.

Herbert gave a heavy sigh. There was no easy way to explain this, he could only lay out the bare facts and hope she still wanted him when she knew the truth.

“Many years ago, my lab was destroyed when an experiment went wrong. I was killed in the process. Dan Cain returned to the scene, found my body and used my own Re Agent to restore my life. It was a complete success. As time went on, I showed no signs of being a reanimated person – not for the first twenty years, then I started to show signs of change... possible indications of impending decay. So I began to work on controlling it. The answer was to inject every three months. I have been stable ever since and that is why I don't look a day over fifty. That's why I can't age. I stabilised on the three monthly injections at the age of fifty, and as a dead person reanimated, I won't age and I will stay preserved. My heart beats, I'm physically alive – but only because of the Re Agent. It's changed me genetically. _This is why you shouldn't have used a dead man to give you a child, Amy. As much as I love you, I'm being honest when I say, I don't know what is growing in your womb, but it isn't a normal child._ ”

She looked at him in horror as she slowly shook her head.

“No, it's our baby!”

“It's not a normal baby, Amy,” he told her firmly, “Its _partly_ normal - and partly something else!”

“I'm not getting rid of our baby,” she said tearfully, “I won't do it, Herbert! You're a scientist, don't you at least wonder what this child will be like when it's born?”

A surprisingly passionate flood of emotion filled his eyes along with a sting of tears.

“ _My work has NOTHING to do with how I feel about my child!”_ he told her sharply, _“It won't be human!”_

“No, you're wrong!” Amy said, “You can do what ever the hell you want, Herbert – stay or leave or I'll separate from you and live under the same roof to keep Lily happy – what ever works! But I'm not getting rid of this baby.”

Herbert blinked away tears.

“No, I don't want to break our family up! I just want you to understand this baby isn't meant to be!”

She grabbed his hand, placing it against her belly.

“It's a baby,” she said, “I don't care if this child is different. Lily is different. She was brought back after years in cryonic suspension! Little Penguin – look at that kid, he's different and happy, everyone loves him! _Different_ doesn't mean _doomed_ , Herbert!”

“Lily was reanimated successfully. It doesn't mean she should ever have children of her own when she's older – and she may need regular reanimation shots as an adult, too.”

“ _You never told me that part!”_

Amy raised her hand and slapped his face.

Herbert staggered back.

“Quite right too,” he said tearfully as he nodded, “You should be angry. I deserved that slap. But understand refining the technique with Re Agent is difficult. I brought her back. I brought Ronnie back too, but we used a combination of agents differently because of her cyborg implants. There was very little Re Agent involved. Unlike the case with Lily. Or myself. Our baby will be more than different. I was dead, Amy! I have no idea what that child will be like, but it won't be entirely human, at least, not the kind of human ever born before. For all I know it could come out half zombie! You brought this on yourself! You _never_ should have got pregnant without asking me how I felt about it, now you've created a disaster!”

“Hey guys,” Victor called, and they broke off their heated conversation as they both turned around to see him standing under an archway that led off into another corridor, “I think I've found a way out,” he added, and they walked off to join him, saying no more on the subject of the baby.

Molly and Julian had gone back through the recreation room, then stopped at a fork where two corridors ran off in opposite directions as they stood there, looking about and seeing no one.

“ _Ozzie!”_ Molly called out, _“Where are you?”_

Her own voice echoed back at her. She was getting a sharp rising feeling now, sick and scared like back when Jeremiah Velaska had abducted Ozzie...

“No, no, he's dead, Velaska's dead...” she muttered, reaching to her side and sorely missing the presence of her gun.

“Don't start with that, please, not now!” Julian sounded anxious and she looked at him, apology filling her gaze.

“The stairs turned down. We fell. Ozzie is gone. I don't mean to think about _that_ , about back then, but its always there, Julian.”

“Oswald can handle himself. He has a blade in his cane! I think he fell and maybe wandered off, maybe he's a bit disoriented. I see no one else here, Molly! We have to keep searching for him. We both know Oswald can handle trouble. He's going to be okay. He _has_ to be okay!”

Julian had said that like he desperately wanted to believe it, he was on the brink of panic.

Molly shook her head.

“Someone's got him,” she said as anger and fear shone in her eyes and she looked about the empty corridor.

“ _WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS, WHAT DO YOU WANT?”_ she yelled into the corridor beyond as her voice echoed back at her.

Then there was a crackle as an old loud speaker mounted on the wall came life.

“ _I want nothing,”_ came the reply, _“and I'm doing this simply because I can!”_

Then the old box TV mounted near the speaker and surrounded by cobwebs jumped to life, showing a view of a dimly lit room. Oswald was tied to a chair, there was a bruise to his face and a deep cut that ran down his cheek, he was bleeding as he looked into the camera.

“ _Ozzie?”_ Julian said tearfully.

Molly was gripped by that same old fear all over again, that terror that had not left her since the day Valeska had left her husband for dead, at that old house out in the woods almost twenty years before...Oswald was held captive. He was hurt and he needed her and all the pain of what had happened years before was taking over, along with rage as the view of Oswald on the screen was blocked by the face of Izak Coffinwood, who smirked into the lens.

“You want him, come and get, Molly!” he said, and the screen went dark.

Molly glared at the screen as her rage fired up like a volcano.

“ _I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS, IZAK!”_ she yelled, _“YOURE NOT HAVING HIM, YOURE NOT HAVING MY OZZIE!”_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The speaker had gone silent. Julian grabbed Molly's harm, pulling her back as she lunged forward, yelling at the mounted sound system.

“Molly, stop, it won't help!” he said.

She turned sharply to him, caught between horrible echoes of the past and the reality of the situation at hand. Ozzie was enraged, that was all she knew for certain and she had to find him.

“They're killing him, Julian! We have to find him, where the fuck do I start in this place?”

For once, it was Julian who was calm, because he knew enough about Ashecliffe after being held there for five years.

“We need to go up” he told her, “Because one thing I know for sure, is Izak is with Ozzie right now and that's where he sent the message from – that speaker system is accessed by the main control room on the top floor.”

“Are you sure?”

“I noticed the windows behind Ozzie were not locked down. There's no bars or barriers on the top floor. That's where he is!”

“We have to get up there!” Molly said urgently, “How do we get there, Julian?”

“I don't know,” he replied honestly, “But we need to go back up those steps - if we stay close to the rail, if the stairs cave in again, we won't fall. We have to get up there and then find our way to the floor above.”

Molly nodded. Then she thought about a huge problem that could stand in the way of everything.

“There are cameras here – not everywhere, but I've seen them... Izak will follow us. And I don't have my gun, I can take a chainsaw but that's no use against armed men. Izak must have a fair amount of fire power and we need bullets, not blades.”

“ _Did someone call for back up?”_

They both turned to see Jax Sterling standing there, his suit was covered with grime and dust and as he joined him, Josh looked equally dishevelled. Jax was missing his artificial arm, and had tucked the empty sleeve into his suit. Both men were armed and ready for trouble.

“We await your instruction, Mrs Cobblepot!” said Jax.

“Jax!” Molly cried, and she ran to him and hugged him, then she hugged Josh too, “Thank fuck you two got here!”

Jax handed Molly his gun, then drew another from a second holster.

“Better?”

“Much,” Molly agreed as she checked her weapon.

“Izak Coffinwood has Ozzie,” Julian told them, “The stairway over there, through that doorway,” he indicated to the door that Molly had sawn off its hinges, “Was a trap. Middle section of the stairs collapsed to a slope. We fell back and then we couldn't find Ozzie. Then a screen lit up and we saw Izak had him tied up, he's cut, he's bleeding, he looks beat up. But he's alive.”

“He's toying with us,” Josh added, “We fell into a floor trap – almost got crushed to death. He's doing this for his own enjoyment, just because he can.”

“And because he wants Ozzie out of the way,” Molly told him, “He's his biggest threat. Izak won't return to Gotham while Ozzie's still alive to have him hunted down. He's got powerful connections off Gotham soil, too.”

“It's scary to think how many people want to back up Izak because he's Bane's son,” Julian said.

“But no one has the guts to take on Ozzie directly,” Molly replied, “That's why they sent Izak, and I don't think he realises that.”

“He's being used?” Josh said in surprise.

Jax nodded.

“Clearly he's being taken for a fool – used to make a mark in Gotham, to make an enemy of Oswald, I'm willing to bet the bad batch of drugs was planted, targeting Cain as a user so Oswald has a solid reason for the two of them to become enemies. Then Izak takes all the risks, bumps of Oswald and his associates off soil then move in to take his place. But there's one flaw in this plan... Us. This situation ends tonight, Oswald will have Izak's head on a platter!”

Molly had just realised something, and tears of pain and rage filled her green gaze.

“Cain was deliberately targeted? Izak was told to give that poison to my son?”

“It looks that way,” Jax replied, “From the elaborate traps set up in this place I'd say he has powerful friends. But as for him being valuable, he's only worth using to eliminate competition. Izak is nothing like his old man. And those in alliance with him know it. Izak is disposable.”

“We should be careful, he can hear us.”

There was a soft pop and a shower of sparks from beyond the corridor. Molly looked about, wondering why Josh had suddenly vanished, and then he returned with a smile on his face and a screwdriver in his hand.

“On our journey through these corridors, we found an undisturbed section of the building and there was a toolbox, it didn't have much in it, but we found a screwdriver. On our way down here we've been working out how the system used to be rigged. We've just taken out the last of the surveillance equipment on this floor. We killed the sound minutes ago, must have been after you heard from Izak.”

“We have to avoid monitors and the sound system on the next level as we go up,” Jax explained, “One level has gone down. If the next level stays up, they'll blame the old wiring and call it a technical glitch. The only new wiring in this place is where the traps were installed. Everything else is original, pre-existing wiring and about to fall apart. We have to get up those stairs to the next level without making a sound. And we have to kill the camera at the top of the stairs, too. It can be done but Izak will be watching the remaining cameras, and that's why we need a distraction.”

He looked to the others before speaking again.

“ _One of us will have to act as bait.”_

Fear shone in Julian's eyes.

“I don't have a gun.”

“I don't have a spare,” Josh said.

Molly stood tight to the doorway and peered up, spying the camera at the top.

“How solid are these fixtures, Julian?” she asked, turning her head.

“Very,” Julian confirmed, “The sound and monitor system had to be tough in case of trouble, they didn't want to risk inmates ripping stuff off the walls.”

Molly nodded, determination burning in her eyes as she tucked her gun into the back of her jeans.

“I'll keep Izak busy, while I block the camera, the rest of you go up – and stay close to the hand rail, tight against it, remember the mid section of the stairs caves in!”

Jax and Josh nodded, then Molly went first as they hung back with Julian as Molly went through the broken doorway, once again facing the staircase trap.

Up in the control room, Izak was chuckling as he watched Molly return to view.

“She's trying the stairs again?” he exclaimed, and then accepted a cold beer freshly opened by Carla Fen.

“This should be entertaining!” she remarked.

“I thought she was smart, obviously she's not!” Izak laughed.

Through the grainy image on the camera, he saw Molly try for the steps, then he hit the button, making the steep slope snap down as she grabbed the rail, Holding on, struggling, slipping about. She looked up and called out for Ozzie, he couldn't hear her, but he could see what she was saying, and she looked scared. Finally, Oswald's wife was scared...

She grabbed the rail harder, turned towards it and began to climb up to the place where the stairwell curved, looking up into the camera, desperate and terrified. She inched her way slowly towards the stairwell, clinging on until the rest of the flattened steps met with a complete slope, it was a short but steep climb above and she clung to the rail and then jumped falling forward as her t shirt hit the camera, and she clung on as it started to shake and the screen began to run with lines.

“That was foolish,” Izak remarked, “I give her a minute clinging to that camera before those old walls crack and then she's all the way down the bottom!”

“I can't see the others,” Fen replied, looking to screens that showed an empty corridors.

“They've probably split up,” Izak replied, “I'm guessing Oswald's Generals were caught in shoot out, they've probably crawled off somewhere to bleed out. Let's keep watching, this is fun!”

Then he turned to Oswald, who glared at him as blood shone scarlet on his injured face.

“I do believe your wife is about to fall an entire flight of stairs!” he said as he laughed, and Oswald glared back at him saying nothing, silently plotting a painful death for his captor as soon as he worked his bonds free.

Molly was clinging on to the wall mounted camera, covering it as she pressed hard against it, her muscles tense and arms shaking as she kept hold of it, saying nothing as the others made their way up. Josh was first, and he helped Jax who struggled because of his missing arm, then once he was up, Jax held out his hand, helping Julian to make the jump to the top. He indicated to a slowly turning security camera, and then to a passage way. As the camera turned, Jax and Julian ducked out of sight. Josh knelt at the top of the stairway, holding out both hands. Plaster was flaking and the old brickwork starting to crumble. The camera was no longer as secure as before, and started to loosen from its heavy brackets. She tugged downward, hearing a crack and swung herself towards Josh, letting go of the camera as it came away from the wall and tumbled down the slope with a crash. Molly hit the slope hard, and only the thought of Ozzie and the others was enough to stop her crying out. Josh had caught her hands and started to pull her up, staying low to avoid the range of the camera down the other end of the corridor. Molly scrambled up, they waited for the camera to turn, then they ran silently to join the others.

Molly took a moment to get her breath back, still feeling the pain of sore ribs after that fall on to the slope. Jax indicated up the corridor, where no cameras were to be seen. Up here were offices, the other side led to accommodation for staff members. They had taken the office side, and the place looked untouched for many years, but they took no chances, staying silent as they headed towards the end of the corridor where a window was visible – a window with no barrier to cover it.

As they reached it, a second set of steps were in view. And there was another camera, pointing downward and slowly turning left and right.

“One at a time,” Jax whispered, and as the camera turned, he made a run for it up the steps with surprising agility for his stocky build. Once up, he watched the camera turn again. Molly was up the stairs next, followed by Josh, and then Julian, who hit the wall hard and ducked just as the camera turned again.

Jax waited a moment, looking about, then gestured to the others. Here, they were in a short corridor with no camera surveillance. Josh drove a screwdriver into a box on the wall and ancient wiring was exposed. He carefully turned the screw, then slammed the rubber coated handle of the screwdriver downward, gutting the connections as sparks flew.

The sound system was down. They could talk again.

“Now what?” said Julian, looking to the end of the corridor, where the only way further up was an old elevator. The doors were closed.

They made their way over to it. Molly ran her hand over the buttons, which looked like they were at least forty years old, if not more.

“I doubt there's any power to this thing,” she said, “We can't get the doors open...”

“And if we did, the elevator itself could be on the bottom floor – or the top – and climbing would be hazardous. Anything could give at any time,” Jax replied, “But there has to be another way...”

Julian passed by a large, dried out plant with dead leaves and saw what lie beyond it.

“Fire escape!” he said.

They joined him, and Jax gave the bar a push. It was stiff. Josh and Molly joined him, and began to push down on the old lever, as the stiff door groaned and the bar strained.

On the other side of the building, As Victor and River laughed, then did a hi five as the box next to the doorway sparked and wires shorted and locks slid back, Herbert looked on at a short distance away, shaking his head.

“I don't think the way out of an escape game is to bust the electrical system, Oswald's going to get billed for damages!”

Victor cast aside the tools he had used to open the box : a flat edged knife found in the kitchen area of the bar, and a small rubber mat he had wrapped around it to safeguard against shock. He and River looked jubilant as she opened up the door.

“In the absence of clues, I guess brute force is acceptable!” she said as the cold air blew in off the water and they left the building.

Amy had turned for the door, desperate to get out of this place as bad memories crowded her, but Herbert gently caught her arm.

She turned back to him.

“We should leave now. I need to get out of here.”

“I want to say something to you,” Herbert replied, “I've been giving the matter of the baby a lot of thought. We don't know what this child could turn out like, but I'm a doctor, I can take care of it.”

Rage flashed in her eyes.

“No, no – I don't mean it like that!” Herbert insisted, “I mean, I can monitor the pregnancy, I can help with the birth. If this child is too different, we don't have to let the world know that. We can keep him at the house.”

She looked at him in surprise. All trace of anger was gone from her eyes now.

“Him?” she said as she blinked away tears, “You think this baby might be a boy?”

“Maybe,” he said with a smile, “I think of Lily as my daughter. A son would be nice. But another daughter would also be wonderful, what ever this child is like, you're right, it is our baby and that's all that matters.”

“You really mean that?”

He nodded.

“Yes, I do.”

Amy hugged him tightly, and then they kissed.

Victor looked back through the open doorway.

“Finally, the bickering has stopped! Hey lovebirds, are you coming with us? We're going back to the boat.”

Herbert and Amy broke off from their embrace, smiled as they linked hands, and then walked towards the open door.

The air was fresh and cold and River closed up her coat as she headed for the steps, looking down to the dock. As Victor joined her, he saw the look on her face, and understood why she was so worried. Herbert and Amy had caught up with them by now. Herbert had looked to the dock too, and it was Amy who voiced the thought they all shared:

“ _Where the fuck is the boat?”_

“And where's My Dad? Him and Molly and Julian should have been back by now...” They were making their way down the steps towards the empty dock, “Something feels … _off_ about his whole place,” River added as she checked her watch, “It's four fifty am! The boat's due to leave at five to take us back to the mainland. We're scheduled to be back on home soil by seven am. Where's my Dad?”

“I don't like this,” Amy shifted closer to Herbert, “We're trapped here!”

“Maybe the boat's scheduled to come back at daybreak,” Victor replied.

Herbert was starting to worry.

“I have an exemption that permits me to be off Gotham soil for limited hours! If I'm not back over the border by seven thirty, I could be thrown back in jail!”

Amy looked at him in horror.

“We have to get off this island.”

“Together might be the safest plan?” Victor suggested.

“No, screw this, Herbert needs to leave now, and so do I!”

Amy drew out her phone.

“ _FUCK!”_ she yelled, _“No signal – again!”_

The others were also checking their phones. They all had no signal.

Victor looked to the tall building above on the cliffs, where the only exposed windows on the top floor were starting to catch the first rays of a rising mellow sun as light split through cloud.

“The boss said we'd meet here at five am to take the boat back to the mainland,” said Victor, “And it's almost five. But they did have a hell of a night planned out, maybe they're running late. Or maybe not. I say we wait ten minutes and if there's no sign of them, I'm going back in.”

“I'm coming with you!”

“No,” he said firmly to River, “You wait here with Amy and Herbert. This could be something, or nothing at all. But there's an axe on the wall behind the main reception, it's old and in case of fire, but it's all I've got, I left my guns at home. It's probably okay – but I need to be sure about that. Just wait here, the boat will be here soon.”

Victor checked his watch.

“Screw ten minutes. I'm going back now!”

He kissed River's cheek.

“Take care of Amy and Herbert, they look worried,” he added, and then he turned back and began to climb the steps that led back to the old asylum.

“I'm worried too!” River exclaimed, but Victor was gone now, up the steps and ready to break the glass and arm himself with an axe. He wasn't certain anything was amiss – but he had an uneasy feeling now, and he always listened to that instinct...

The fire exit finally opened up. Jax and Josh had strained the bar and the lever had finally given way. It took both men to haul it open, and as it groaned nosily, a light flashed amber on the wall. Molly looked upward. Guards had come running and they were heading for the stairs.

“Shit!” Julian said in panic, backing off as the others drew weapons.

“Just stay back, Julian,” Molly told him, and then she gestured to Jax and Josh, and stepped first out to the stairway, firing off shots and ducking as shots rained back down.

Bullets punched walls, the armed men hurried down as Jax and Josh went first this time, and Molly waited for them to stop firing before catching a gunman high above with a single shot. The body plunged over the rail and fell far below, landing with a crack. More shots rained down. Molly fired back as Jax and Josh did the same, advancing on the stairway as weapons pointed downward and fire was returned as they dodged bullets. Julian looked on, hearing the shots - but now the others were out of sight. He pressed tight against the corner, looking to the fire exit as he gave a sob, wondering who would come out of there – if it wasn't Molly or either of the Generals, he was dead – and so was Ozzie, if no one was left to save him. Julian wasn't a fighter. But he had never in his life wanted to arm himself with a gun as much as he did now...

Up in the tower, Izak had seen the exchange of fire. His men were being picked off one by one – now he knew the stunt with the camera had been a trap. The game was lost.

“I'm not done with you, Oswald!” he said darkly.

Oswald was still struggling to loosen his bonds, knowing Izak had lost the fight and wasn't prepared to stand and fight or to die for it.

“You're nothing like your old man!” he said bitterly, “At least he had balls!”

“You'll see me again, Cobblepot!” Izak vowed bitterly, as he turned for the door.

He had called the chopper on seeing the stairway was breached and now as Izak prepared to flee the tower, it was hovering overhead, and he opened up the door that led to the helipad and hurried up as Fen followed.

“Izak, thank you so much for getting me out of here!” she said.

Izak turned to her and raised his gun, shooting her between the eyes.

“Sorry honey, you know too much,” he stated.

She fell to the ground as the chopper landed, and he ducked and ran towards the open door, keen to make his escape. The whole idea of a fun way to kill Oswald had turned the hunter into the hunted. His associates would not be happy. And this was not the end of it, he couldn't return to home soil without assuring his people that Oswald and his spouses were dead.

As he got into the chopper and it began to rise, he saw Victor Zsasz round the top of an external stairway, and he used an axe to break through the locked door of the control tower.

“ _This is not over!”_ Izak vowed as the chopper rose higher and began to take to the morning skies, fleeing Shutter Island.

In the control tower, Victor heard the last of the shots fired as he untied Oswald, who slumped in the seat and then leaned on Victor, who helped him up and handed him his cane which had been left leaning against a wall.

“We need to call for help!” Oswald said, and then he saw the box on the control system. The monitor beside it said, _signal jam active_. Rage fired up in his eyes as he raised the metal penguin head of his cane and crashed it into the box, sending sparks flying.

The other door opened. The shots had died out. Molly was first through the door.

“Ozzie!” she cried, and stumbled bloody and bruised and exhausted into his arms.

Jax and Josh were checking their phones.

“I've got a signal,” said Josh.

“So have I,” replied Jax, and then he made a call, alerting security to the Izak Coffinwood situation, and requesting two choppers to airlift them from Shutter Island immediately.

“Call James Gordon, he needs to know Izak's committed a gangland assassination attempt off home soil – that's enough shit for him to be a wanted man for the rest of his days in and out of Gotham's borders!” Jax exclaimed.

“I'm on to it,” Josh replied, and made the call immediately, alerting the GCPD. If Izak had been a wanted man before, he was now hunted worldwide...

Molly had been hugging Ozzie, then she had taken a handkerchief from his pocket to hold to the gash on his cheek.

“You'll be okay,” she told him gently as she blinked back tears of relief.

Jax had finished making his call.

“Sir, I have two choppers on the way – one for the others by the dock, and one for us.”

“I'll go back down and wait with River,” said Victor, and he left by the door that led to the outer staircase.

Molly looked about the room.

“Where's Julian?”

“I'll fetch him,” Jax said.

Josh was still on the phone to the GCPD, and he went out to wait by the helipad as he spoke into the phone, and Molly joined him, her arm around Ozzie as they waited for rescue.

“Where's Julian?” Oswald said in alarm.

“Jax has gone to fetch him, he was on the floor below, he's safe,” Molly assured him.

Jax had gone back down the stairs, stepping over bodies of fallen guards and taking care not to slip in blood, because it was so much harder to reach out and grab something to keep his balance if he slipped with only one arm to steady himself. He reached the bottom of the stairs and looked about. Then he heard someone step closer, and he saw Julian come out of the shallows, he was shaking and fear shone in his gaze as he clumsily held a machine gun that clearly he did not know how to handle as his shaking finger hovered near the trigger.

“Where's Ozzie?” he said as his voice trembled, “Where's Molly?”

Jax holstered his gun, stepping out of the shadows and into the daylight that was spilling down the stairway and into the room beyond as the sun rose higher.

“Julian, it's me, Jax... put the gun down, Oswald is safe.”

Julian looked back at him, still shaken up, still tearful.

“Are they making you say that?”

“Izak is gone. His men are dead!”

Julian hesitated.

“This place is bad. I suffered here! Five long years! And now Ozzie;s dead!”

“No, Julian. He's okay!”

Jax glanced up the stairway. He saw Molly had returned. She looked down at him.

“Where the fuck is Julian? The chopper's here!”

“He's distressed. He thinks Oswald's been killed.

“Feck's sake, Julian,” Molly's voice echoed down clearly, “Ozzie's in the chopper. We're waiting for you! Move your arse!”

Julian breathed a relieved sigh as he heard her voice. Jax carefully took the loaded gun from him and propped it against a wall, then he put his arm around fragile, shaken up Julian and helped him up the staircase to be reunited with his spouses.

Victor had reached the dock and rejoined the others. It had been something of a shock to hear the gunfire coming from above, and even more of a shock to see Oswald had been forced to use his emergency back up plan that was always in place when he was off Gotham soil – choppers stationed nearby in case of an emergency, and clearly this was just that. Amy and Herbert got into the chopper first, followed by River and Victor, and then it rose up and turned around, blades thundering as it took to the skies, carrying them back in the direction of home as they were kept company by the reassuring presence of two of Oswald's armed security, who carried machine guns.

Now Oswald, Molly and Julian had joined Jax and Josh in the chopper on the roof, the door closed and it rose skyward.

“The other chopper will take my daughter and the others to Cobblepot industries,” Oswald said as he spoke into the phone loudly above the sound of the chopper, “See to it that the GCPD meet them there. Jim, I will meet with you later at home. I've told my people to double up security – this is a major incident. Izak is far more dangerous than we first thought, and outside authorities need to know that too. He needs to be taken out, by our side or theirs, I don't care which.”

Then he ended the call as his face throbbed and he rested his head on Molly's shoulder as Julian sat beside him, holding on to his arm as he pressed his face to his jacket and wept.

While the first chopper took the others to the rooftop helipad of Cobblepot Industries, the second chopper thundered across the skies of Gotham, heading for the landing pad at the back of the Cobblepot estate.

The sound had woken the sleeping kids, who had gone to bed after a fun night of trick or treating and now woke to sunrise on a misty November morning, and as Lucy looked out the window and saw the chopper looming closer, she knew, that instinct that had had told her danger was close had loomed in once more, and she hurriedly got dressed in warm clothing and then grabbed a warm sweater and pulled it on, leaving her coat behind, and hurried from her room. Luna had just woken up and opened up her door.

“What's going on?”

“Go back to bed,” Iris said as she came up the stairs, “Penguin and Selina are downstairs talking to James Gordon. There's been some trouble, but don't worry, your parents are okay – they're on their way back now.”

And Lucy shot past her in a blur, taking fast to the stairs as she dashed down.

“Lucy, get back here!” Iris called.

Lucy ran on, past the front room and Penguin Cobblepot and Selina who were talking about an incident at Shutter Island, and Selina saw her run for the back door and called her name, then gave chase but Lucy was out and running across the lawn, then through shrubbery, taking a short cut on a path only the kids knew about.

“Lucy?” she called out, then she stopped and looked across the other end of the vast lawn. Far off where the helipad was situated, a chopper was now visible in the sky.

Lucy Lambrick knew. She just knew something bad was about to happen – that feeling, about the Halloween house had all been building to this... it was as if danger was coming closer every second. But she could see the umbrella logo on the chopper now as it cleared the tall trees and prepared to touch down, that was Daddy's private helicopter...

“Oh Daddy, no!” she gasped as she realised why she had been sensing danger.

Selina hurried on towards the helipad pad from the house, Penguin waddled out as his little boy leaned out of an upstairs window shouting, _Yay its a chopper!_ And Felix grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, telling him not to lean out so far. As Penguin hurried out, Jim Gordon followed, speaking on his phone to confirm the Cobblepots had arrived back safely on home soil. The chopper was hovering above the helipad, about to touch down.

On the helicopter, Molly was looking gratefully to the sight of home, they were about to touch down, they were back on home soil, this was over... Oswald was resting in his seat, hugging Julian, who was tearful and badly shaken up.

“It's okay, were home now,” Oswald said, and despite the pain in his face, he smiled at Molly, who reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. They were alive, they were safe, it was not yet over with, later they would hunt down Izak, but for now, they were home...

The chopper touched down and the engine shut off and the blades slowed turning. Molly breathed a sigh of relief as the door was opened up and then she helped Julian out first, and Penguin Cobblepot threw his long coat about his shoulders because it was clear the guy was badly shaken by the way he was shivering. Jax and Josh left last and Jax immediately began to lead Jim Gordon away, as he began to relate all he knew about Izak.

“Stay with Julian,” Oswald said as he sat in the chopper, “I need to go to the clinic and wait for River. I only trust my daughter to fix my face.”

Molly nodded, then she tenderly placed her hand on his cheek, careful to avoid the deep wound, and kissed him.

“I'll be with you as soon as I've spoken with Jim,” she said, and then she got out of the chopper and closed the door. She looked back as they headed away to see the blades turning as the engine powered up.

And then a second chopper rose from behind the trees, as security came running and shots were fired and the chopper fired off shot after shot into the helicopter on the ground.

“ _OZZIE!”_ Molly yelled.

She drew her gun, firing shots skyward. Now Oswald's men had been alerted, more choppers rose from a nearby hillside, ready to give chase. Izak's helicopter turned and swooped low, then up into the air, heading away from the estate.

Jim lowered his gun, radioed to his own people to hunt down Izak, and then he turned back.

“Molly, wait!” he called, but Molly had already broken into a run, tears streaming down her face as she wrenched open the door of the helicopter.

“ _Ozzie!”_ she wept.

The chopper was riddled with bullet holes and Oswald was still strapped in his seat, bleeding heavily from several bullet wounds that were soaking his fine suit deep red. The pilot of the craft was slumped dead, having taken a bullet to the chest.

“Ozzie!” she wept again, unbuckling his seat belt.

Oswald leaned back in the seat, drawing in a slow breath.

“Molly....” he whispered.

Jim Gordon was on the phone calling an ambulance. Selina Kyle was sobbing.

“What;'s happened to him?” she wept, “Oswald, Dad, are you okay?”

Molly looked out from the doorway as her face streaked with tears.

“We can't move him, we have to wait for help.”

Jim placed a hand on Selina's shoulder. He led her back away from the chopper and just then, Iris came to the back door, looking on in horror as she sent the kids back into the house, not wanting them to see what had happened... Oswald had been hit by bullets, on his own land, by bullets fired by Izak Coffinwood...

And then Lucy ran out from her hiding place.

“ _No, Daddy!”_ she yelled.

“Lucy!” Julian called as he stood huddled in the warmth of Penguin's thick coat but she ran on, reaching the chopper and climbing inside to find Daddy Oz breathing hard with his head on her Mommy's shoulder. Daddy Oz was bleeding and the chopper was full of bullet holes.

“Lucy?” Molly's eyes were blurred with tears as she carefully rested Oswald against the back of the seat, “Daddy Oz is hurt. Can you help him?”

Lucy nodded, and Molly breathed a relieved sigh. She hoped Lucy could help. Lucy had healing powers, but she had tried before to fix Ozzies knee and that ache always returned after while. Maybe Lucy could heal some of the bullet wounds, but Oswald had been peppered with shots...

“It's okay, Mommy,” Lucy said, and she scrambled up to the seat next to him and reached for him.

And the sound of thunder filled the air as Izak's chopper returned. It swung low.

“ _NO!”_ Molly screamed as the others looked on horror to see Izak laugh as his pilot fired shots into the chopper once more, hitting the fuel tank.

“ _Ozzie!”_ Molly yelled, reaching for him, and then the chopper exploded in a ball of orange flame.

As the others looked on at a distance, Julian screamed for Ozzie as Selina looked on, horrified. James Gordon stared in horror at the sight of the explosion – Oswald's chopper had just been blown up, with Oswald, Molly and Lucy inside it. The whole thing was a ball of fire as Izak's helicopter took off as security followed, firing shots across the skies.

“ _No!”_ Julian yelled as he fell to his knees and the flames reflected in his eyes, _“LUCY, NO!”_

Inside the fireball, the chopper was burning. All around was flame and heat as the wreckage burned.

_And those inside were cocooned by a ball of energy, protected from the flames as Molly lay on her side, eyes wide as she witnessed the true depths of Lucy Lambrick's powers._

“It's okay, Mommy,” she said as she leaned closer to Oswald, “The fire won't get us.”

Then she hugged Oswald tightly as he coughed, oblivious to the fire beyond the barrier around them as he struggled to breathe and bled out from the bullet wounds.

Lucy closed her eyes.

“I love you Daddy Oz. I'm going to heal you. I don;t want you to die...” all Molly could hear was her words as the glow from Lucy, bright and blinding, over took the glow of the fire.

Lucy thought about something else, too, as she pictured a young Oswald standing proudly outside his bar at the age of thirty four.

“And I don't want you to get old!” she added.

Molly fell flat on her back as the light vanished. The fire died out instantly and the glow of protection around them vanished. She was lying in the ruins of the burned out chopper, and as she sat up, she realised not even the smoke had touched her. She looked to Lucy, who was smiling.

“Daddy's okay now,” she said “I made him better. I did something else, too.”

Then she scrambled out of the wreckage and ran to Julian, who was staggering in shock towards the burned out shell where fire had not touched those inside. The wreckage was not even smoking, it was just a blackened ruin now and those inside were not harmed at all...

“Lucy!” he gasped, falling to his knees as he hugged her.

“I'm tired now,” said Lucy, “Daddy, I think I'm -”

She slumped in his arms, out cold in a faint as Julian held her, looking on bewildered. Julian cradled her as she stirred, then opened her eyes and closed them again.

“She's okay,” Penguin Cobblepot said as he waddle over and lowered his flippers, lifting Lucy into his arms, “She always faints after she does her _super human_ thing... “ then he carried her back to the house as Selina helped Julian up and he looked on, wide eyed, as Selina did the same.

In the chopper, Molly still felt sunned after being thrown to the floor by the blast. Now as she picked her self up she turned to Ozzie, saw no sign of him and frantically looked about the blackened wreckage.

“ _Ozzie?”_ she yelled.

A hand reached up, grasping a piece of wreckage. He pulled himself up, then shrugged off a coat several sizes too big as Molly's eyes went wide.

“What the fuck?” she whispered.

“I think Lucy got those bullets out. There's five bullets on my seat but I seem to have no injury.”

Oswald stepped down from the wreckage, taking her by the hand.

“Oh my God!” yelled Selina.

“Oz?” Julian said in alarm, staring at the sight of him.

Molly was staring too.

“Lucy saved us. Clearly we are both unharmed,” Oswald said with a smile.

“It's okay, Julian – we're fine!” he called out, and then he put his arm around Molly, who was in shock, and led her from the wreckage.

Jim Gordon was staring at him as he limped over to join him.

“Say something, old friend!” Oswald said in surprise.

Jim was speechless.

“You're aware Lucy has a gift - she fireproofed us. Now we need to work together to bring Izak to justice. If you catch him, you can let the authorities deal with him. If I catch him, I'll send you his head. May the best man win!” said Oswald.

But Jim was still staring.

Oswald blinked.

“What are you staring at?” he demanded.

“He's staring at _you_ , Ozzie...” Molly said in a hushed voice.

Julian had now come over, so had Selina and they were _all_ staring.

“What are you looking at?” Oswald fumed.

“You,” Molly said, reaching out and placing a shaking hand on his cheek, a cheek that no longer bore a trace of injury.

_Lucy hadn't just healed him and saved them from the blast. She had turned back his age. Ozzie wasn't old and heavy any more. He was slender, and looked just as he had at the age of thirty four._

“She made you young again.” said Molly.

Oswald had just looked down, holding up his pants as he had wondered why his suit seemed far too big. He looked at her sharply.

“What?”

“You're beautiful, Ozzie!” Julian said tearfully.

“And way too young to be my Dad!” Selina exclaimed.

Oswald's jaw dropped. He looked down at his slender body, then he reached up, touching his face. His eyes widened.

“What did Lucy do to me?”

It was Jim Gordon who summed it up.

“You look like you did when you took over from Fish Mooney,” he said, “Lucy didn't just save your life. She made you thirty four again!”

Oswald's ice blue eyes were wide as he looked to the others, then to Molly. All she could do was embrace him, and while he didn't feel like her chubby Penguin any more, he was still her Oswald, just a hell of a lot younger...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Molly still felt as if she was in some kind of state of shock. It had been two days since the chopper exploded, two days since Lucy had used her ability to make Oswald younger.

She knew she should be glad.

Her ageing, chubby Penguin was now young and handsome and slender.

But she missed him as he used to be. And she knew that was ridiculous.

Ozzie was young and healthy again and in great shape.

According to Oswald, that was all the more reason to smoke and enjoy fine brandy and eat anything he wanted to eat.

Maybe he would turn back into a _young_ chubby Penguin, in time.

Thoughts like that made her laugh.

Ozzie had been older, heavier – and now he was young again. She knew she had a lot to be thankful for.

Julian couldn't take his eyes off Oswald. He gazed at him in adoration, watching as he opened up an old wardrobe that contained suits from many years ago, and they fit him perfectly now, fine three piece suits made of expensive fabric that had not seen the light of day for many years. Ozzie still spiked his hair. And he was so much faster and more energetic than he used to be. The kids were still getting used to it. Ed Nygma had called a press conference to explain Oswald Cobblepot had recently undergone some treatment to lose weight and rejuvenate his skin. Of course, the people of the city accepted that. No one could say Julian's daughter had powers that left those who witnessed them speechless.

As for Lucy?

She was just happy her Daddy Oz was okay.

She had gone to school the next day as usual, like it was just another day for her. Lucy had been very, very tired after she had passed out, but next morning, she was up and back to her usual self – and she had told Oswald she was sorry she had not done this for him earlier. She said, she had tried to make him a tiny bit younger before when she fixed his leg, but it hadn't been enough. But now, it _was_ enough.

Molly had never known Oswald to spend so much time in front of a mirror. He had touched his face, looked intently at his reflection and then said, _“Why didn't I realise how attractive I was when I was younger the first time around? Why did I lack confidence in those days?”_

“It's like you've been given a second lifetime,” Molly said as she sat on the bed watching as he admired his reflection. He looked back at her and smiled, then caught sigh of Julian, who had just woken up. Now his gaze was fixed on Oswald as he jerked off hard, taking in every detail of his husband's new youthful, handsome body.

Ozzie looked exactly as he had looked back in the days when he had overthrown Fish and become king of Gotham. The only exception was the tiny lines around his eyes that suggested a look of deep wisdom for one so young, as if he had lived more than one lifetime, like this was a resurrection. But Oswald still kept some of the traits he had developed as he had aged through the years, he still wore his top hat sometimes, and of course, he still used his cane because at the age of thirty four, he had already had a broken leg and that was the same, he still limped – but not nearly as bad as he had when his body had been much older.

He was also unstoppable in bed.

Julian had whined and protested as he begged Ozzie to leave his ass alone, after all it had been through on Halloween he still felt bruised. But Oswald had used his tongue persuasively, until his recovering ass had opened up enough to take two fingers, and Molly had come moments after watching Oswald work Julian into a rapid frenzy that saw him coming hard and fast and uncontrollably on to the bed sheets. When he had made love to Molly, Oswald had done so with such enthusiasm her thighs were bruised and the old wooden headboard at the back of their bed had knocked loudly against the wall. Then Felix had run down the hallway, tapping on the locked bedroom door as he announced _somebody is at the door and they keep knocking loudly!_ Molly had pressed her face against Oswald's chest as she stifled her giggles, then called back, _not to worry son, it's just the wind!_

Oswald was young, beautiful and unstoppable in every way.

But business was still at the forefront of his mind as he rolled on his back between Molly and Julian.

“I need to find Izak,” he said darkly, “I won't rest until I have his head!”

Over at the GCPD, Jim Gordon had been surprised by his visitor, who was the last person he expected to make such a visit.

Victor Zsasz sat in his office, looking across his desk, a cop had just brought in coffee and now Jim looked at Victor in confusion.

“I need to hear you say that again, Victor.”

“It's not hard to understand, Jim,” said Victor, “I have made the decision to offer my services to the GCPD at this time, when the need to track down Izak is urgent. I am doing this in a volunteer capacity, laying aside the underworld bonds temporarily so I can assist our family, the Gotham City Police Department, in tracking down a dangerous criminal. Oswald had given his blessing. He wants you to think of me as a gift, on loan, to assist in your search.”

Jim looked at him suspiciously.

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Maybe I want to give something back,” Victor said with a smile, “River works multi agency in this city, she has her own medical centre and she helps the underworld too, so why shouldn't I assist the GCPD for once?”

“I think you and Oswald had a chat and he said if you find Izak under the guise of working for us, even if our side gets to him first, you can still kill him and claim immunity under the pact - as opposed to my men arresting and charging him and putting him through the judicial system!”

“Don't be cynical, Jim. I'm here to help.”

Jim cast him a doubtful look. This was Oswald's way of planting an assassin in the police team to ensure Izak was executed instead of sent to jail. But the pact stated in times of crisis, help must be accepted from the underworld, and Oswald knew that. Oswald was probably at home, chuckling to himself about this plan as he enjoyed his new youthful body with his two spouses and then chilled out with a glass of something strong and expensive. And he knew the articles in the pact were binding, Jim had wanted to bring Izak to justice – but Izak was a personal enemy of the Cobblepots, meaning GCPD rules on the matter were simply there as a courtesy and no more. This was an underworld matter, despite the fact that targeting Oswald off soil was a criminal matter here and over the border. Oswald held all the cards and he knew it. He held his hand out, Victor accepted and the two men shook hands over the table.

“Welcome onboard,” Jim said with reluctance.

Victor smiled.

“Can I have a badge?”

“A what?”

“A badge. And when I go after Izak and his men and I pull my guns, can I say, _GCPD?_ I've always wanted to do that!”

Jim looked at him in confusion.

“I guess you can do that if you want to.”

“I can't wait to tell River the good news!” Victor enthused, “I think I've wanted to play cops and robbers ever since I was a kid, I mean, for real. But I became a hit man instead.”

“I think Oswald put you up to this to make sure if we get there first, Izak gets a gangland execution.”

Victor feigned surprise at that remark.

“Jim, you should be more trusting! I'm _thrilled_ to be a part of your team, it's the fulfilment of a boyhood dream!”

Jim Gordon gave a weary sigh.

“Who am I to argue, I'm just abiding by the rules of the pact,” he said, and forced a polite smile.

Amy was in the building at the back of the mansion. Herbert had once told her never to come in, but now she was invited in, specifically, he said, so he could scan the baby. She saw no trace of the dangerous chemicals he had warned her about. Maybe they were behind that locked door on the other side of the room, the one secured by a padlock. Right now she didn't want to ask as she laid on the table and looked up at the screen, her only thoughts being for her unborn child, so small and perhaps so different to other children.

“At this stage I can't see anything but a small foetus that is the size and shape it ought to be,” Herbert told her, “It could be months before we are able to see abnormalities on the screen – if they are visible on an ultrasound. But for now, he appears to be okay.”

He turned off the screen and wiped the contact gel from her belly and she got up and tugged down her dress, then she turned to him as worry reflected in her eyes.

“How will we know if this baby is different, I mean, before it's born?”

“It's a sure bet the baby will be different,” Herbert replied, “You conceived from me, a reanimated person. That Re Agent has gone to every part of me – including my sperm cells. I'm thinking the child could look different, but have a normal diet and normal behaviour – or it could look strange and be perfectly normal in every other way. Or maybe everything about it will be abnormal. I can't say. This is a first for me. We just have to get through this one day at a time and when the baby is due, we will know for sure.”

“I think there wont be anything wrong with this baby,” Amy said, “It's got to take some kind of DNA from me – maybe that will be enough.”

“Let's hope so,” Herbert replied, “But I doubt it.”

Amy paused for thought as she looked about the lab.

“Lily is doing okay. Her diet is now sixty percent diary and forty percent meat and blood based.”

“Lily is human, reanimated. Our baby is an entirely different matter.”

“And whatever this child is like, it will be loved by us,” she reminded him.

“Yes, it will,” Herbert agreed.

Then Amy's gaze shifted back to the locked door.

“What's in there?”

“Those materials I warned you about. I keep hazardous chemicals under lock and key now, in case Lily ever gets curious. You got curious, I don't doubt she might too and I want to think about your safety.”

She nodded.

“Thanks for being so careful.”

“I try and be responsible with my work,” Herbert replied, “I do love you so much, my precious little family.”

“And there's no more secrets between us?”

“Absolutely none,” Herbert assured her.

There was thump from beyond the locked door.

She looked sharply at the door, then back to Herbert.

“What was that? Are you experimenting again? Are you making me a new _Thing?_ ”

Herbert recalled the reanimated hand that had served as a sex toy for Amy while he worked long hours. It had formed an attachment to her, until its unfortunate accident due to its preference for accompanying her around the house - including the kitchen - where it had jumped into the blender. Sadly, Amy had been using it at the time... It had been messy, to say the least.

“No, I think maybe something fell down in there,” he replied.

Her eyes widened.

”You said there's dangerous chemicals in there – what if something spilled?”

He laughed nervously.

“No, that can't happen. I know what I have in there and how its stored, Amy. You'd better get back to the house now,” he was walking her to the door, “I'll be working until five today. I'll join you and Lily for dinner later.”

Another thump came from behind the locked door. She turned back sharply.

“I think I left a window open, something is blowing about in there. Don't worry, Amy!”

He ushered her out of the door and closed it, then his expression changed as he looked to the locked door and walked quickly across the room, grasping at the padlock as he turned the key and then unlocked it, wrenching the door open in annoyance.

“ _I told you to be quiet, my wife knows nothing!”_ he fumed.

Amy looked back at the closed door. She took in the sight of the building, the shades were down, she couldn't see what Herbert was up to now – but she had just realised something. She walked around to the back of the building, just to be sure. There were _no_ windows in that locked area where Herbert had blamed the wind for strange noises.

“ _What are you up to?”_ she murmured as her eyes narrowed, and then she turned away, heading back to the house, because Lily's laundry had to be done and mysteries, for now, could wait.

Oswald was out attending a gangland meeting, and the subject of that meeting was Izak. Molly had taken the kids to school and now she was back home, she took off her coat and boots and went upstairs, where she found Julian in the nursery cradling his baby daughter in his arms. She smiled as she stood there in the doorway, watching him hold her as he spoke to her softly.

“Oh Gertie, your Daddy was handsome but now, he's younger and he's not only handsome but he's the prettiest underworld boss in the whole city! Probably the prettiest guy in the entire world!”

Gertie cooed and smiled up at him as he smiled down. He settled her down for a nap and then turned from the crib to see Molly in the doorway.

“I was just telling Gertie about Ozzie. She noticed he looks different when he held her, but she knew right away he was still her father.”

“He's just younger and prettier,” Molly said as they left the nursery together and closed the door softly.

Julian paused for thought.

“Is it possible to love someone so much that you think you couldn't love them any more than you do, but then you fall in love with them all over again?”

“Definitely,” Molly agreed, “I feel that way about you and Ozzie. I love you both so much, and then you do or say something and I realise I love you even more, it just gets deeper.”

She placed her hand on his arm, giving an affectionate rub.

“You were so shook up over what happened on the island. And then the chopper exploding... are you okay, Julian?”

He nodded.

“I think so. I'm taking my meds, I'm not feeling uneasy any more. And what Lucy did for Ozzie is amazing. I'll miss his big belly but I love his new look.”

“So do I!” Molly exclaimed, “I didn't know him when he was thirty four – seeing him like this is incredible!”

Julian's face flushed as he smiled shyly.

“I love you so much. And I love Ozzie too – how he was, and how he is. You both mean everything to me...”

His eyes had glazed with tears. He was struggling with his emotions again. Molly drew him into her arms and held him tightly, and that hug she gave him was all he needed for his tears to stop. Now he had turned his thoughts to other matters.

“I never thought I'd pick up a gun, and when I did, it was a machine gun! I'm not sure if I would have used it properly if I had to open fire – but I was so scared on the island, Molly. Do you think it will take long to catch up with Izak?”

“No,” she said honestly, “He's being hunted city wide, and far beyond the border. Oswald's put Victor in with the GCPD. If the cops find him first, Victor will take out Izak and call article three. There's no way Izak will get away with all he's done to our family and sit in a cell for the rest of his life bragging about it. He's a marked man.”

“I think I'll sleep better at night when I know he's been dealt with,” Julian told her.

“Don't worry, sweetheart,” Molly told him, “Security around the estate is trebled and we have armed protection following us everywhere we go. There's underworld guards at the school too, so the kids are definitely safe. I put Josh and two other guys on school security watch and Jax is having a few days off to recover, he's not got the same fitness level he had before the connection failure with his artificial arm. Oswald hadn't expected any trouble when he assigned him protection duty on Halloween. River's signed him off for rest for five days. He's at home with Carol.”

“He needs to rest,” Julian agreed.

Molly looked fondly at Julian, then took him by the hand.

“Speaking of rest, I could do with a cuddle from you, Julian!”

“That's a great idea!” he said with a smile, and Molly led him off to the bedroom where he would lay in her arms, comforted by her embrace until Oswald returned from his meeting.

Josh had been assigned security duty at the school where Lucy and Felix attended. Two other security staff were on watch, and he had not expected a teacher to speak to him quietly, asking for a favour. He had been taught that where ever he went, he represented Mr Penguin's underworld, and to serve under the Penguin meant all those who wear the umbrella logo were gentleman, and represented the underworld and its values at all times. So when a teacher had asked him if he wouldn't mind giving a talk to her class on what it was like to serve the underworld, he felt awkward, but agreed.

Now he stood in front of a class of thirty kids aged between eight and nine, who sat there looking at him, waiting for him to start.

Josh had not been trained for this situation.

“You can begin now,” the young female teacher said with a smile. She hadn't stopped smiling since he and two colleagues had turned up this morning. She wore a small gold pendant that bore an umbrella logo – a sign that she was a fierce supporter of the under world pact, of Oswald and his men – or as Jax jokingly referred to such people, she was an _underworld_ _fan girl_.

Josh looked to the kids.

“Well, I came here to work today but I have two colleagues standing guard around the school, for the protection of all of us during an underworld situation that I'm sure you've heard about on news reports. But I said I would come in here for a short time and talk to you about what it's like to work for Oswald Cobblepot. The first thing to remember, is those who work for Oswald all wear nice suits and you've all seen the umbrella logos on our ties – men and women who work for Mr Cobblepot all wear this uniform. And we all have good manners and we help people when ever we can. Our job is to represent the every day side of the underworld, as well as to defend it in times of trouble. Does anyone here want to work for Mr Cobblepot when they grow up?”

Josh was surprised at the answer to that question. Many hands shot up.

“It's not easy to get this job,” Josh added, “There's a lot of training and study involved. We have to be able to get along with the public and be ready for a fight if the city is threatened. We also have to work well with the GCPD. And then there's the Unity Pact between the police and the underworld – there are lots of rules in that book, and I had to learn them all to get this job. But ultimately, our task is to keep the peace and watch out for the citizens of Gotham. A bit like the GCPD, but we do things differently. Does anyone have any questions?”

As he asked that, Josh was hoping for questions about what his role meant to him, what it meant for the city to have the protection of the underworld, and all about the positive aspects of his job.

Instead he was in for a surprise.

“How many people have you killed?” asked one boy.

“Do you dump bodies in the river?” asked another.

“Can be an assassin when I grow up?” asked a little girl.

Josh looked at the sea of faces and hesitated.

“Let's talk about something else,” he said quickly, steering the conversation far from guns and executions, “It's not all about defending the city, not all the time. Sometimes, for example, when the Cobblepots are busy, I help out with the family...”

_The talk lasted almost an hour._

Josh had steered the conversation to family times, and how trusted employees sometimes helped out around the house and with the kids. Then he had talked about the basic requirements to apply to work for Oswald, and talked about his training, too – at least, the little he was permitted to speak of. When the bell rang and the kids left the classroom, the teacher closed the door and locked it and pulled a shade down at the window. The windows on the other side of the room were also shaded, and the lights were on in here, warm and cosy and bashing the November chill. The teacher's name had escaped him, but she had told him to call her Sandra.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Josh said, “It was a pleasure to talk to the kids about life as an underworld man.”

“Maybe you've inspired the next generation of underworld men!” she said with a sweet smile as her blue eyes sparkled and she gave a toss of her fair hair and it caught the light platinum as it fell over her shoulder. And they had shook hands, but his hand was still in her grip. He let go cautiously, adding it all up now they were alone and she was looking at him seductively:

_Oh no. She was young, she crushed on Penguin's men. Specifically, she was looking at his suit and his umbrella logo tie, and she was crushing on him at the moment in time..._

_She was beautiful._

_But he was married._

_And he had no intention of being unfaithful._

And there was a preferred method to deal with a situation like this. He had learned on his training, It is simply not enough to say _I am married,_ to brush off advances. The rule was : _While you are representing the underworld, you can only give one specific response referencing your role in society only, leaving aside all other factors._

Josh took a deep breath.

“Sandra, I'm flattered, but -”

His eyes went wide. He stared. He couldn't help it. She was unbuttoning her blouse!

“I've always wanted to ask if I have what it takes to be the wife of an underworld man. Can I ask your honest opinion, I mean, you underworld guys must be surrounded by beautiful women _all_ the time...”

“Ah... you might to want to leave those buttons alone – Oh no, _don't_ do that!”

She had opened up her blouse, exposing her breasts cupped in a black silk and lace bra.

“So, what's the opinion of a gangster man?” she gave him a wink.

Oh, Josh was _so_ thankful for his training at that moment, so very thankful...

“Sandra,” he said, turning his head away, “I am wearing the logo of the underworld. Whilst in uniform, I _only_ serve the underworld. I'm a gentleman at all times. Please cover yourself up.”

He carried on looking away as she buttoned her blouse and tidied her clothing, her face flushing as she realised her mistake.

“I'm sorry, it's just that me and a couple of friends often go to clubs at the weekend and whenever we see Penguin's men, we always wish we could get to know them - but they're always so distant. I guess I wouldn't know where to start to find a guy like you.”

She laughed nervously.

Josh finally met her gaze.

“Sandra,” he said kindly, “I was born in this city, I lost my father in the first war with Bane. I fought in the second war and then I applied to work for Oswald Cobblepot and I was one of the lucky ones who got accepted. There are not many guys who make the grade for the training. But there are a _lot_ of guys like me out there, it's just that they don't all wear the Penguin's logo because the training is tough and vacancies are rare. I'll get going now, I have a job to do. Thanks for letting me speak to the class,” he unlocked the door and pulled up the shade, “Have a nice day, Ma'am,” he added, and then he left the classroom, keen to find his colleagues and stay away from the kind of young women who idolised Penguin's men, the women Jax jokingly referred to as _fans_. This would certainly be a tale to tell Selina and Ivy – and Jax, who he knew would find it highly amusing. Jax had warned him about the attention he would get as one of Penguin's men – especially as a senior General – until now, he hadn't realised how intense it could get. By the time he reached his colleagues outside the school, he was smiling. This was certainly a day he would remember, and when Jax had said _these fan will try and tempt you,_ he had not been exaggerating!

Jax was enjoying a day in bed. It would be a week before his replacement arm would be delivered, and River had said he needed at least five days off work after the strain of all he had gone through on the island. He felt okay, just a little tired. It was true that the connective fluid poisoning had permanently sapped his strength. As he recalled the old days, he remembered how he had been in countless battles in Oswald's name, and always recovered fast. Not these days, not since the cyborg arm had leaked and changed his life forever. He didn't mind desk duties and being forbidden to take on tasks that demanded heavy combat, he missed the old days, but he had Carol and Alicia and his family had been through enough worry when he was sick. These days he liked to take it easy when he could.

“I'll have to get up soon,” Carol told him as she lay in bed in his arms, “I have to pick Alicia up from school.”

“And it's been a wonderfully restful day for me” Jax said with a smile.

Cindy their cat padded across the bed, gave a meow and jumped to the floor, heading for the open bedroom door.

“Cindy knows Alicia's home soon.”

“Yes, Carol. She's always downstairs waiting for her to come home. I guess you should get dressed soon. I'd pick Alicia up but -”

“Don't even think about getting out of this bed!” Carol told him firmly, “River said you have to rest.”  
As she sat up Jax turned on his back, comfortable and happy to rest in bed after all that had happened on Shutter Island. He paused for thought.

“Next week I may be called in to play some kind of role in the apprehension of Izak Coffinwood. Oswald is aware of my limitations, but you need to be aware of my duty regarding a major threat or incident - and Izak is now classified as both.”

Worry shaded Carol's eyes as she started to get dressed.

“Oswald wouldn't put you in the line of fire, not now.”

“No, but I will have duties to perform. Even if only to put a bullet in Izak's head once he's apprehended.”

“As long as you're safe, I won't worry,” she told her husband.

Jax sat up and put his arm around her, pulling her close as he kissed her cheek.

“You have no need to fear,” he assured her, “Oswald is aware of my limitations – and so am I. He won't demand that I take unnecessary chances.”

Oswald had returned from the gang leader's meeting wearing a long velvet coat over his suit, and that coat was trimmed with black feathers. He had not worn it since he was a young man, and now he was a young man again, it fit him once more. He was late home because he had paid a visit to his hairdresser to have a purple streak put in his raven spikes and as he looked into the mirror, he had smiled, thinking how much this made him feel as if it was the old days again.

_Except that it wasn't._

It was thirty years later and he was a married man with two spouses and a large family. He had lived more than sixty years on this earth before Lucy's gift had reversed his ageing process, making him young again. He had Julian's daughter - his step daughter - to thank for this. And not just for what he saw in the mirror, too. It meant so much more than looks:

_Many more years with Molly and Julian._

_Time to see the kids grow up._

He had a second lifetime ahead of him and when he thought of it that way, he felt emotional. But he didn't want to smudge his eyeliner – he had started wearing that again, too – so instead, he glanced at his reflection, smiling joyfully as he took in the sight of his young, fit body. This certainly was a second chance at life...

But there was a matter that had to be resolved before he could truly take joy from this brand new chapter of his life...

As he drove towards the mansion, his pale blue eyes darkened with rage as he thought of his enemy.

_Izak was out there somewhere._

_And he wouldn't rest until he found him._

_He would pay for all he had done._

It would be justice for his family and most of all, justice for someone who had been an innocent victim in all of this, who had walked into a trap and paid a heavy price:

_Izak's death would be painful, and it would be justice for the damage done to Cain..._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As the days passed by, November settled to a grey chill punctured by occasional sun that shone down on Gotham City to light the gloom. The kids were at school, Julian was downstairs spending time with Gertie and he had left Molly and Oswald to have some time alone – recently, they had both needed separate time with Ozzie, because it was like getting to know him all over again – at least, getting to know his new body. Oswald had accepted his new found youth easily, sliding back into an energetic persona that Molly realised was who he used to be in the years before the war and the years before she met him. He had told her he used to lack confidence, and she remembered the scarred war hero she had met almost twenty years before who had been over weight and shy and understood that part – she had always thought his lack of confidence had come from his war injuries and the weight he had gained as he got older, now she knew differently. Oswald had once been a young man who had no confidence in himself, at least not in his looks or in his ability as a lover. He had told her tales of being bulled at school and called ugly. But now, in this second chance to be young again, all the confidence he had built since meeting her and becoming a father, and later, meeting Julian, had come to the fore.

Now he was young again, handsome and confident with it in every way. He didn't wear those three piece suits that hugged his slender figure to compensate for what he saw as lacking in every other way, they were no longer a reflection of his power to make up for that which he thought he lacked – it was an enhancement of his looks _and_ his wealth – he was one of the most influential men in Gotham and he knew it. He was a capable lover, and he knew that too. And now when he looked into the mirror, he admired what he saw.

Oswald's face was flushed as he turned on his side, breathless from lovemaking. His spiked hair hung in his eyes and he pushed it back, meeting Molly's gaze as he ran a hand down her side and met her gaze.

“You seem suitably flushed and by the soaking you gave me when my hand was between your legs I'd say that was an acceptably intense orgasm, my dear.”

She smiled as she thought about last night. He had been instantly hard, calling her his slut wife as she fucked Julian – and Julian had not expected such a hard slap across his ass for his efforts, either. But Oswald loved to make him squeal. This morning they had woken alone as Julian took care of his daughter, and Oswald had wasted no time taking Molly into his embrace and claiming her body all over again. He had endless energy these days.

But his mind was still on all that was wrong in their lives – Cain's absence, and his burning desire to avenge what had happened at the island, and what had happened to Cain because of the poisoning. He was hungry for Izak's blood.

“The GCPD are following up leads regarding employees of Izak,” Oswald said as they lay together, “Victor tells me so far no links go directly to Izak, just those who have associated with him in the past. James Gordon is liaising with off soil authorities to bring in powerful gang leaders for questioning. At times like this I wish the pact had extensions that allowed underworld interrogation for these people – on our soil!” he gave a sigh, “But we had to draw a line in the sand when the pact was created. It had to solidly support the city as independent, with very little wording regarding authority outside of it. They have their kingdom, we have ours, I suppose. But I could do with some rule bending at this moment in time...”

“And risk the pact in the process,” Molly reminded him.

Oswald sat up and reached for his cigarettes, lit one and as Molly sat up too, he handed it to her and lit a second for himself.

“Ozzie, you're young again, this is a chance to stay healthy!”

There was a sparkle in his eyes as he looked at her

“Molly,” he said as smoke trailed from his cigarette, “I am fortunate to have a second chance, and I want you to know I fully intend to do all the things I did before with no regret – and I shall do them many times! I haven't lived more than sixty years on this earth to change now. I have been given back my youth. I'm biologically thirty four years old. But in my mind, I am much older and carry with me all I've learned over the years. And I also know what I like, Molly. I will always be an indulgent man.”

“In all ways,” Molly said with a smile as she thought back to last night and the three of them together.

Oswald sat back against soft pillows, deep in thought as he smoked his cigarette. His mind had now turned to the matter of Izak once more.

“I was thinking about what to do when we capture him,” he remarked, “If the GCPD get to him first, Victor will execute him. A clean kill is still a kill and better than than James Gordon doing things by the book... But I don't think they will find him. They're focussing too much on his associates. Izak won't leave a trail. He's dumb, but no so dumb to lead them to his door. I suspect he's off soil right now. But he wont stay away forever – he's got to prove himself to others, he's got to make his mark on this city by being the man who killed Oswald Cobblepot. He's coming back, and when he does, I'm ready for him.”

“I was thinking the same,” Molly said as she put out her cigarette, “He went to so much trouble rigging the asylum. He's not going to stop now.”

“He can't stop,” Oswald replied, “He's the son of Bane. He's forever living in the shadow of his father's reputation. He has to do something big to make his mark, he's counting on killing me to gain the fear and respect of those off soil, and the gang leaders here. But it's a gamble that won't pay off because he won't get a chance to kill me and no one who forged and fought for the independence of this city would bow down to Izak. He was making his mark on the other side of our border. He should have stayed there. When he does make his move, I'll kill him!” Oswald vowed. Then he got out of bed as Molly sat there, taking in the sight of her rejuvenated husband's perfect, athletic body as he headed for the shower.

Julian had placed Gertie on a play mat where she crawled around, her tiny hand reaching up to grab at soft toys that dangled above as she laughed. Julian sat down on the sofa, deep in thought. He felt as if his mind was half back there on the island, in the asylum. It wasn't the past that was haunting him now, Oswald had been right, after their planned night of fun, so much had lifted. The echoes would always remain as sure as his scars did, but until everything went wrong, going back there had been therapeutic. Now he didn't fear the place as much as he used to, seeing the crumbling ruin and mix of rebuilt structures that did not resemble his former prison, time had done much to wipe away the visual memories. But he thought about Oswald bleeding and tied up and Izak laughing into the camera. That came back far more often than his flashbacks of his days as a prisoner on Shutter Island. It was as if a new demon had started to haunt him, and as he sat there safe at home on a comfortable couch in a warm and luxurious room in the Cobblepot mansion, Julian blinked back tears, recalling the chopper explosion and the moment he thought he had lost Ozzie Molly and his daughter Lucy...

_Lucy was at school._

_Molly and Oswald were upstairs._

_He had made love to both of them last night._

_Lucy had saved Molly and Ozzie when the chopper blew._

_She had more than saved Ozzie, she had made him young again._

It seemed he had so much to look forward to, so much to be thankful for, but everything that had happened was shaking him to the core as sure as he could recall the weight of that machine gun in his hands as he had stood there in panic, waiting for someone to return from the stairwell back on the island. That had been the moment he had feared Molly and Ozzie were both gone. Too much had happened on that day, and it kept replaying in his mind. He heard Gertie give a squeal of delight as she grasped at a small mirror that hung from a low arch attached to her play mat and looked at it excitedly.

“Is that fun, Gertie?” he said, and thankfully at her age, she wasn't aware her birth father was crying.

“Ozzie's upstairs having a shower, he'll be down soon – Julian, what's wrong?”

Molly had just walked in.

She sat beside him on the sofa and put her arms around him, holding him close as he sobbed.

Julian could barely get the words out.

“ _I thought I lost you both... Izak... the stair case... the gunshots... and when the chopper blew..... I thought...”_ he started to sob harder.

Molly held him tightly.

“I know it's a lot to take in,” she said softly as she held him, “But we're all safe, Julian. It's okay, I'm alright, Lucy's fine and so is Ozzie. He's never looked so bloody good!”

Julian drew back from her embrace and managed a smile as he nodded.

“He's beautiful!” he exclaimed as he wiped his eyes, “And what Lucy did for him is wonderful but...” there was a sudden look of panic in his gaze as he spoke again, “What if, when she's older, when Lucy grows up, what if that power of hers gets out of control? What if people influence her to use it in the wrong way, Molly?”

She put her hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes. When Julian launched into a string of _what ifs_ , she knew he was distraught and anxious.

“What Lucy did for Ozzie is something she's been trying to do for a long time,” Molly replied, “She's tried to fix his leg and tried to make him a little younger, she's done that before but she realised it wasn't enough, so she turned his ageing right back and made him in his mid thirties again. Julian, she did a wonderful thing and all for the right reasons. Look at what she's accomplished as she's got older – she's a clever little girl, she's kind and she knows she can do special things, but she won't ever use it in a bad way.”

“What about the Shadow Lady?” he said as he wiped his eyes again, “she turned her to dust!”

“In Lucy's eyes, she was killing a monster,” Molly replied, “And I make her right on that, too! She was a monster! Lucy did the right thing to protect us all. Don't ever worry about how she's going to turn out, Julian. She's a good girl,” Molly stroked his hair as she looked into his eyes, “And she knows what you've been through, she feels and understands everything when it comes to those she loves. And she knows how scared you were when the chopper blew up. She knows how you felt on the island when you heard shots and we vanished and you didn't know who had survived it. She feels it all, Julian. So please don't ever fear or doubt her, or worry how she will turn out later on. Because she will feel that too. Just have faith in her and be proud of her, she's going to be just fine.”

Julian nodded, then he hugged Molly again, thankful for a conversation that helped to ease his fears in many ways.

Ivy Pepper had just settled baby Flora down to sleep. Flora had been happiest in the green house, where the vines gently curled about her and rocked her to sleep, and after many days of that company while Ivy tended to plants, preparing them for winter, returning to Josh and Selina's place and sleeping in an ordinary crib took some getting used to, but now she was sleeping soundly.

Ivy was on the sofa, reading a newspaper, her gaze lingering on the image of Oswald as the headline declared, _Penguin's new Age-defying Look_ , and below it was an article that stated Izak was considered public enemy number one in the City of Gotham.

She leaned back on the sofa, her gaze lingering on Oswald's picture.

“He looks _so_ good!” she exclaimed.

Selina had just tidied away Nathan's toys, and she turned her head as she knelt there on the carpet and looked over at her.

“Yes, my Dad looks half his age!”

Ivy giggled.

“What?” asked Selina.

“No, I can't...” Ivy shook her head as she giggled again.

“What is it?” Selina demanded.

Ivy laughed.

“ _Oswald looks hot!”_

“My _Dad_ is hot?” Selina grabbed a cushion and playfully threw it at her as Ivy laughed again.

As Josh entered the room, he smiled to see the two women in his life having such fun and laughing together. Ivy's return had been celebrated last night, the three of them warm and close beneath the covers as Josh was teased by both women who called him _tiny dick_ as Ivy dived under the covers saying, _Where is it?_ And then she had been poked in the ear by Selina's strap on as Selina had said, _No, that's MY cock, the big one!_ Josh had taken her dildo that night, while Ivy sat on his face. It had been one hell of a reunion.

But morning had dawned and work had beckoned and it had been a long day, working with security, making sure the Cobblepots were heavily guarded, whilst over seeing plans to broaden the search for Izak – the maps and the drawing up of plans was usually a task left to Jax, but he was still off work, taking rest after the physical demands placed on him after the incident at Shutter Island.

Josh sank gratefully on to the couch as he kissed Ivy, then Selina got up and leaned in, welcoming him home with a soft kiss.

“Any news on finding Izak yet?”

Josh shook his head.

“We're widening the search, but it could take time. He's a wanted man on and off Gotham soil – but he has contacts, and a lot of money at his disposal – the traps at the asylum proved that. He's going to be hard to find. In the mean time all we can do is keep guarding the house and the family and keeping up the search. GCPD have drawn a blank so far, too.”

He gave a sigh as he leaned back. Selina returned with coffee as she said dinner would soon be ready, then she sat beside him as Ivy sat the other side, and Josh slipped off his jacket and tie and kicked off his shoes, thankful for the closeness of the two women in his life after a long, hard day.

Far away from Gotham soil, Cain Cobblepot's hand shook as he picked up the phone, he looked at it in his hand, thinking about home and his family as he agonised over whether or not to make the call. Ronnie entered the room at that moment, she had came in from outside and as she closed the door, the sharp cold air escaped in, carried on a sea breeze, and then the door was shut again, sealing in the warmth of their home that was cosy in winter as the fire burned brightly in the front room. The view from the windows showed a choppy sea, the sky was grey, slate grey as Gotham skies. She saw in a glance he looked homesick.

“You want to talk to your parents?”

Cain shook his head, setting the phone down on the table clumsily as he leaned back against the padded back of the grand chair he sat at the head of an oak dining table - one that wouldn't have looked out of place back in the days when Oswald had first become the king of Gotham.

“I...I w-would, but....” he met her gaze as he shoved the phone aside, “This is their fault,” he blinked back tears as he gestured to the scar above his brow, “Th-they did _this_ to me!”

Ronnie pulled out a chair and sat beside him.

“And they thought at the time that they had no other choice, Cain. Back then if it had been up to me, I would have waited maybe another day – but no longer. I just wanted you to live and stay sane. And so did they. It doesn't mean I agree with their choice, it just means, I would have waited longer but probably not long enough to make a different decision. And if you don't want to call your parents, call Julian. Maybe tell him how you're feeling?”

Cain shook his head.

“I've done enough to pull Julian into th-this m-mess!... No... no, I must leave family alone!”

Determination burned in his gaze, determination to stick to what had been a hard decision. Ronnie reached for his hand, covering it with her gentle grip as her dark eyes looked deeply into his, and reflected understanding.

“I knew it wouldn't be easy when you walked away like you did. Your Dad loves you, he wouldn't retaliate over your choice to leave, Cain. But we had to cover everything, not because he's Oswald, but because family anger can be unpredictable. We are quite safe here. And if you want to see your parents, I'm with you. Any choice you make, I'm with you on it.”

Cain looked down at the table for a moment, then he pushed the chair back and got up sharply, leaning on his cane as he limped towards the fireplace then turned around, half clumsy, half elegant as his gaze burned with emotional fire that rivalled the blazing logs in the hearth.

“Ronnie,” he said, “I...I want more th-than seeing my parents. I want m-my birthright! I _should_ be k-king of Gotham... one day!”

Ronnie's eyes went wide.

“You still want that?”

He nodded as a tear ran down his face.

“Dad got there w...with a...a limp. I have a limp a-and more but... _.I_ am his son... Prince of the... the city!”

Ronnie understood despite his words being staggered even more than usual by his tearful mood.

“Oswald is the king of Gotham. That makes you the prince of the underworld.”

“Right!” he said, holding her hand a little tighter as he looked into her eyes.

“And if you want that back, if you want to be a part of that family again, I'll take my mother's path and probably die defending you some day,” Ronnie told him, “There can be no other way. If you take the seat at the table once more, I will defend you until my last breath. Since I was revived from death, my alterations have placed me classified as elite in bodyguard ranking, Cain. There could be no other to protect you like I can.”

“No,” Cain replied firmly, pausing for thought, taking a deep breath so that his words came out in more flowing speech, “You... will be my _wife_. We will... protect e...each...other!”

As the intensity in his gaze met her own startled eyes, she leaned in as he pulled her closer, kissing her hard and urgently. He was still holding her as she drew back, tears of joy in her eyes as she nodded.

“Yes, Cain,” she agreed, “This isn't how I expected our lives to be, but if you want to reclaim that which is yours, then you must do that. And I will stand by you in all that you do, now and always, as your wife - and yes, we will protect each other.”

Cain started to smile.

“My Dad is the...king,” he said, “But I am s-still his f-first born son! I _am_ the prince of t-the Gotham Underworld!”

Then he looked at the phone again, and instead of calling his parents, he called Julian to explain that he wanted to talk to his Dad – and yes, he wanted to strengthen family bonds, but most of all, he demanded one thing:

_Despite his mistakes, he was determined to try again. He wanted his birthright. He was the first born son of the king of the underworld, and he wanted to be acknowledged as prince once more..._

“I need to talk you.”

Julian had said that quietly as Oswald had walked the floor with Gertie in his arms, smiling down at the baby he had made with Julian thanks to the fertility unit.

“I'm sure there's nothing you can't say in front of our little girl,” Oswald said as he smiled radiantly at his husband, “I have everything I could wish for, Julian! I have youth and health back and I have two spouses who love me and we are blessed with beautiful children. So I really don't know why you look as if the sky could fall in at any moment!”

“I want to talk to you about Cain. He's been in touch. He said he wants to see you.”

Oswald's expression changed at once.

“My son wants to speak with me?”

“It's more than that, Ozzie,” Julian said as he joined him in the nursery and watched him settle Gertie, “He wants his birthright back. He said you're the king of Gotham and he's still the prince. He doesn't want his disability stopping him claiming his role in this city.”

Oswald turned from Gertie's crib and looked at him with wide eyes as his jaw dropped.

“His disability?” he exclaimed, “It was his _impulsive decisions_ that led me to force him to stand down! And that is _still_ the only reason why I would refuse him a place at the ruling table – he's impulsive, and that is a dangerous way of thinking when in a position of power!”

“Maybe he's learned his lesson,” Julian told him, “Think about it, Ozzie – he paid a high price for handling Izak his own way. He walked into a trap and he will live with the consequences of that forever. He had to leave home to reclaim his life!”

“And _you_ helped him to sneak away!”

“He loves Ronnie!” Julian insisted, keeping his voice low as Gertie slept, then he left the room and Oswald followed him out, closing the door softly behind them, where both men stood in the hallway and resumed their conversation.

“I love Cain like a brother,” Julian reminded him, “And it hurt me to lie to you and Molly to help him leave to be with Ronnie, but no one else, at the time, understood what he was feeling. I understood because I was once in his position! I know how hard it is to come back from something like he's been through. Me and Cain have different stories, but we can both relate on our struggles and I did what I thought was right – I'm _not_ apologising again! But please, see your son. Talk to him, Ozzie!”

Oswald gave a heavy sigh.

“Molly said as soon as Cain gets in touch, she wants to know about it. I'm talking to her about this before I make any decisions.”

At that moment, the front door closed and Felix and Lucy ran down the hallway as Little Penguin waddled after them, laughing.

“Penguin sleep over, Penguin eat all the cookies!” he yelled joyfully.

“There you go, Ozzie,” said Julian, “ Molly's just brought the kids home. Go and talk to her. Don't hang this out so long Cain cuts ties again - or worse!”

Oswald looked at him in confusion.

“Worse?” he asked, “What does that mean?”

“Think about it,” Julian said as his hazel gaze met Ozzie's ice blue, “He wants his birthright. He's entitled to claim it as your first born son. Let's end this amicably, Oswald. _Because if you don't, you could end up going to war with your own son._ ”

Molly had sent the kids off to the front room where they sat down and watched TV together while they waited for dinner. Tonight Little Penguin was sleeping over, and knowing how playful he was, Molly insisted Julian watch the kids while she spoke to Oswald alone.

“Cain wants to speak with us?” she said as she blinked away tears.

Oswald had Julian's phone in his hand as he read out the message he had sent. Cain had made it very clear, he wanted family contact but most of all, he had decided not to walk away from his birthright.

“He's entitled to have a role in ruling the underworld – alongside you,” Molly agreed, “And before you say no, Ozzie, please remember he made a mistake and he almost died for it, too. He _never_ should have ordered the warehouse burned. He shouldn't have used Jax and Josh to shoot the place up without your approval. But he's paid for those mistakes. He's learned. Please, give him another chance!”

Oswald's eyes glazed with tears as his heart ached for his eldest son. Life without Cain had been painful, his presence missed every day, and all because they had not listened to him, not understood him, lacked Julian's patience and empathy...

“Cain is welcome back into this family,” he said as he blinked away tears, “He was never _not_ welcome, Molly! And I shall offer him my deepest apologies for the lack of understanding regarding his ability and what he wished to do with his future – he has a right to do what ever he pleases, we never should have stood in the way of that. If he wants to be with Ronnie, fine. They have my blessing!”

“But he doesn't want your blessing, Oswald!” Molly exclaimed as she looked at her husband, who, despite his new found youth and rejuvenation, was still as stubborn as ever, “He's made it clear he will live his life any way he sees fit! And so he should. But he wants his power back, too – he wants that more than anything, more than he wants us or the family back together, I know it!”

“How can you know such a thing?” Oswald demanded.

”Because he's _your_ son!” Molly replied, “And he may be a loving son and devoted to his partner – but he's like _you_ , Ozzie. He's always been like you. He wants power and that's his first priority. That's why he wants to come back. That's what he wants more than anything. And I think we should let him have it.”

“We shall see. Just remember, I will take a lot of convincing to repair trust after the way he walked out.”

Oswald checked his watch just as the clock in the hallway chimed the hour.

“I have business to attend to,” he said, “We can discuss Cain later. I shall call him this afternoon. But if he thinks he's reclaiming a place in the ruling circle easily, he's very much mistaken!”

Then he walked away, heading for the study.

“Ozzie!”Molly said in despair, but he gave no reply, leaving her standing there as she watched him go into the study and shut the door behind him.

“ _Why_ are you so bloody stubborn?” she said in frustration, as again she thought how alike Ozzie and Cain were, Cain had always been so like his Dad, not just in his looks, but in his ways, too. And maybe that was why they had clashed so much as he got older...

It would be a couple of hours and a few stiff drinks before Ozzie broke the ice with Cain. Molly went upstairs, leaving him to his business and paperwork while in the front room, Little Penguin laughed as Julian told him not to run and Felix and Lucy dashed out of the front room, heading for the garden as Little Penguin waddled after them.

Molly watched from the upstairs window as the kids ran about the garden, then Julian caught up with little Penguin and reminded him to put his coat on, because it was cold outside. Molly turned from the window, took a slow walk up to the bedroom and for the first time in far too long, made a phone call to her eldest son.

“Cain,” she said as she fought back tears, “Your Dad's going to call this afternoon. Please don't fight with him! It's going to take time for him to trust you with any kind of say in underworld life but right now, we just need to be a family again.”

There was a pause on the line.

“I'll s-speak later, mom, “ Cain replied, “I...I need to speak to Dad. Love you.”

“ _I love you too!”_

As he ended the call, tears ran down Molly's face. This was the first time she had spoken to her son since he had left, and to hear him say he loved her went a long way to mending the ache in her heart for all the mistakes they had made, collectively as a family. While Cain had made bad choices as an underworld man, Molly was only too aware of the mistakes she and Oswald had made since. Cain needed to forgive them. The rest, would resolve with time and forgiveness – if Ozzie was willing to try, _if_ he didn't turn this chance of a reunion into another family quarrel...

While Oswald was preparing to call his son and make plans to meet with him and talk everything over, someone else was also making plans. Izak was comfortable in his safe house, amusingly, a basement level apartment that was just two blocks way from the GCPD. He had changed locations six times since going into hiding and awaiting instruction from gang leaders outside the City of Gotham, who wanted to see the old leadership overthrown. The cops had been searching for him, even allowing an underworld assassin to join their team. Clearly, Oswald wanted both sides to have a finger on the trigger if he was captured. But Izak wasn't too worried about that, he was leaving the city tomorrow night. After hiding almost in plain sight, and keeping a profile so low even the vigilante Batman couldn't trace him, he had decided to up his game. If Oswald wanted a fight, it would have to be off soil – over the border where Izak knew he had more power, and Oswald held little sway.

And it would be a brilliant plan, too:

_He had the perfect bait in mind to drag Oswald away from the ring of steel that protected him, a plan so great he was sure by tomorrow night, Oswald would be dead and the city of Gotham and its underworld would be wide open to take over._

_It was simple, really._

_He wouldn't go directly for Oswald._

_He would simply call him and demand he show up. And he would show up too, because Izak would have his son._

_Izak was planning to to abduct and kill Cain Cobblepot..._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was Saturday morning.

Little Penguin's parents were not yet coming to fetch him, as after the sleepover, he was spending the day with the family. Molly had been all smiles for the kids, when in reality, beneath the surface, her guts were in knots. It took a lot to turn Molly into a nervous wreck – but when it came to family, _nothing_ affected her more, and especially right now, when she was worried about Cain and desperate for family ties to be strengthened.

She and Oswald waited together for Cain to show up.

When he did, Ronnie was driving. She parked the car outside the house and then got out, opened up the passenger door and helped Cain from the car, and then she got back in. And at once it struck Molly how much he had changed. Cain still had the damage, he would always carry that, but he held his head higher as he leaned on his cane, walking towards the house with an air of importance, confidence and almost elegance despite his clumsy gait. He knew he had overcome a lot to make a life for himself, and he was proud of that. And Molly was proud of him, too. He limped over to his parents and hugged first Molly, then Oswald. Julian was indoors watching the kids, deciding to leave this reunion alone, because it was about Cain and his parents, entirely about that. Ronnie had nodded to Oswald and Molly, but stayed in the car, leaving Cain to talk alone with his parents. Another reminder that Cain was far more capable than they had expected him to be, and it was as if they both wanted to underline that by him doing this alone.

“We need to talk, son,” said Oswald.

Cain looked from his mother to his father and gave a stiff nod.

“Yes.... but I - I want to s-see the family first, I've m...missed the kids!”

“Ozzie,” Molly said, “Go and sit in the study, you and Cain can have a nice long chat over a couple of drinks... I'll take him to see the kids first.”

“Very well,” Oswald replied, glancing to Cain, “See you in a short while, son.”

As Oswald limped off, Molly hugged Cain.

“I've missed you!” she said tearfully.

Cain was wrapped up in a warm coat over his dark blue suit, and despite the deep scar on his brow that would forever remind Molly of the damage they had caused him by making the wrong choice, he looked so different. So much more confident, a man who had finally made a life for himself after all he had once known as normal had been shattered.

“I want t-to s...see the kids, Mom,” he said again.

“Sure, of course you can, come this way,” said Molly, and she led Cain into the house and through to the front room, where Felix ran up to him and hugged him as Julian looked on smiling, hoping that today would mark the day when this family became whole once more.

“Where's Lucy?” Cain asked.

“She's outside in the garden,” Molly said.

Cain smiled.

“I w-want to – to surprise her!” he stammered with a smile, and Molly nodded.

“You do that love” she said, “She's in the tree house.”

Then Molly turned away as Felix looked up at her with joy shining in his eyes.

“Is Cain back home to stay?” he asked.

“Cain lives with Ronnie now,” she told him, “But think we will be seeing a lot more of him from now on.”

Cain limped out to the garden, as dead leaves swirled and tree branches shuddered on the November wind. He took the path he recalled from his childhood, except that now his steps were slow and clumsy, as he silently cursed the damage to his mind, the price he paid for his parents not waiting for Strange to find an antidote. He did still love his family, but his wrecked body was a reminder of all he had gone through because of their impatience to be assured his sanity had been saved. Sometimes he wondered if it really had – what he was about to ask seemed crazy, and only Lucy could help him with it...

Lucy called his name in surprise, and smiled brightly as she climbed the ladder from the tree house, then jumped the last few rungs, landing easily as the breeze blew her fair hair and she stood there warm in her thick winter coat.

“Cain, are you coming home forever?” she asked.

He smiled down at his sister.

“No..I...I live with... R-Ronnie now... But you can h...help me with this...”

He leaned closer, tapping his head where a deep scar was etched on his brow.

“P-please, sis?”

Lucy hesitated.

“Mommy said I must never heal anyone who has been hurt by agents or chemicals. Or something _bad_ might happen. I think something happened to Julian once, when Fish healed him and it was bad, but I don't know much about that.”

“Don't tell M-mom...just do...it, help me?” as he smiled, he looked like a young Ozzie as the wind blew harder but his spiked hair stayed rigid.

“Nothing bad... no, nothing worse c-can happen to me!” he laughed, and she missed the bitterness in his voice as his hand shook as he leaned harder on his cane.

“Mommy said I mustn't use it on you, in case it goes wrong.”

“Then d-don't tell her. Please... sis. For me?”

Lucy looked back towards the house.

No one could see from here, and it would only take a moment. She wanted to help her brother. Mommy had said never to use her healing energy on anyone whose mind had been affected by chemicals or other healing agents, because it could go wrong. But Cain smiled at her hopefully and she gave a sigh.

“Okay, I'll try. I managed to make Daddy Oz young again, and I saved him and Mommy from the fire. That made me very tired, but this won't take much effort at all.”

She reached out, her fingertips pressed to his brow. Then as energy flowed and Cain staggered back, he stumbled, leaning against the tree bark as bright light flashed before his eyes.

“Cain?” Lucy said.

He gave no reply, blinking as he waited for his vision to clear.

She took a step closer, her boots crunching down dry leaves.

“Cain?”

He turned sharply to her, his eyes glowed red and then went a shade of sea green once more.

“Lucy....” he blinked, “Lucy, you genius! I can talk again... I ….I can talk!”

He blinked back tears of joy, this time his speech had only been hampered by emotion. He stood upright, taking a step forward, realising the limp was gone. His thinking was clear, all trace of his damage had been erased. He reached for his cane and leaned on it casually, smiling down at his sister.

“I do believe you just fixed me, little sis!”

“Are you okay?” she asked cautiously, “Because Mommy said I must never -”

“Don't worry about what Mommy said,” Cain replied, “I'm not telling them yet. I don't want you to get into trouble. Mom said it might be dangerous. But I was willing to take that risk. I'll wait a while before I let them know. I'm not back for a few weeks, I'll surprise them later on. I promise you won't get in any trouble.”

She nodded, and then Cain faked his limp as they made their way back towards the house. As he headed back, Cain felt different in every way – Lucy's healing hadn't affected him badly at all, in fact he felt so much _more_ than he had before... stronger, more agile, his thinking was lightning fast... and the family didn't need to know that yet. He needed time to get used to it first...

A short while later, Cain sat with Oswald in the study.

They talked.

Cain kept up the speech difficulty, knowing now was not the time to say, _Actually Dad, I got Lucy to fix my problem. Yes, I risked all that poison trace still in my system firing up and turning me crazy just to be healed...But it worked!_

It wasn't the time to say she had done that for him, or that the gamble had paid off. Today was too emotional and he didn't want his little sister getting into trouble for doing something so wonderful, it was bad enough Lucy now had a secret she couldn't share for fear of her parents becoming angry at her for taking such a risk. Cain would take the blame for that later.

He and Oswald talked for more than an hour.

Cain assured him, he would never, ever make a decision without consulting him again. He would never risk the safety of the underworld, or risk the possibility of a war.

When the conversation was over, Oswald hugged him.

“You and Ronnie are invited to dinner on Sunday,” he said with a smile, “We can talk business afterwards. I'm thinking perhaps I shall hand management of a handful of bars and restaurants over to you – no weapons management, just hospitality.”

Cain smiled.

“Thanks... Dad,” he said, still keeping up the pretence that Lucy had not healed him.

Oswald walked him to the door, where Cain hugged him again, then hugged Molly, who looked over at the waiting car and smiled warmly as Ronnie smiled back, knowing instantly the meeting had gone well.

As Cain limped back to the car, Molly heard running and saw Edward the bulldog trot from the front room with a sandwich in his mouth.

“No, no, all for Penguin!” yelled Little Penguin as he waddled after him.

“No running!” Molly reminded him, turning back to go inside and watch the kids. Somewhere in the front room Julian was laughing with Felix and Lucy.

“Eww!” Lucy said, “I gave that sandwich to Edward, it's for the doggy, not Little Penguin!”

The car was driving away. Oswald watched it leave, saw his son give him a wave and felt happier now, knowing life would be returning to normal – as normal as it could be now Cain, despite his difficulties, wanted to return to the fold, especially, to his role in underworld life.

A press conference was being held moments after Cain had left the premises, the go ahead given by Oswald. Edward Nygma stood there in a dazzling green suit, with his carefully prepared speech that had been checked by Oswald the day before, anticipating the return of his son – after his mistakes in the past, Edward's speeches were always checked, just to be sure he didn't say too much or reveal anything the underworld would disapprove of. Flash bulbs went off as reporters yelled questions. Ed held up a hand for silence, smiling towards the TV camera trained on him as he stood outside city hall to make his announcement.

Then Ed began to speak:

“ _I am here today to announce that Cain Cobblepot has decided, after a long period of recovery, to reclaim his role at the table of underworld elite. He wants to make it known that the difficulties he has suffered due to illness will not prevent him from fulfilling the role that is his birthright, and Oswald Cobblepot has given his blessing to this decision. There is no more to be said, but welcome back to Gotham City, Cain Cobblepot!”_

There was a flurry of questions and Ed ignored them all as he stepped down replaced by an armed guard of Oswald's men who politely reminded the press that the brief conference was over. He had not mentioned Cain would still be living outside of the city, and returning for business reasons as and when needed, it had been decided Cain could live much safer that way, his location remaining anonymous.

_But Cain wasn't safe._

They were heading out of Gotham, they had crossed the bridge and turned on to a quiet road to take the scenic route back to the coast when two vehicles pulled out in front of them, blocking the road. Ronnie slammed on the brakes and reversed, stopping sharply as two more blocked the way back. Then more cars arrived, boxing them in. There was another coming down the road now, unrelated to the incident, and the driver looked confused, but only for a moment as armed men opened fire, sending the car off the road and down a steep drop. Ronnie had reached for her weapon.

“Say here, I can handle this!”

“No!” Cain said, his hand on her arm as he looked at her urgently, “I can handle myself, Lucy fixed me, I just didn't tell Dad yet!”

He opened up the glove box and took out a spare gun, checked it and then fired off shots as Ronnie activated her inner radar and the gunmen were in her sights, behind her eye, as she picked off two, then a third, but they were running, and there were more of them replacing those fleeing now. Ronnie put the car in reverse, slamming into two men as a shot shattered the back window and the car filled with shards.

The door was ripped open.

Ronnie took aim and blew off the face of the assailant, and his blood was spattering the man behind him, who shoved a machine gun into the car. The drivers window had just been shattered. There was another gun now, this one was jammed to Ronnie's temple.

“ _Drop it!”_ a man yelled.

Ronnie saw the machine gun aimed at Cain and dropped the gun, still thinking of a way to handle this. But they were surrounded, and Cain was dragged from the car. She watched wide eyed as he sprang to his feet, aiming punches, knocking out one of the men as he tried to choke another. Then a sedative was shot into his neck and he slumped to the ground. Ronnie saw no more as a blow to the back of her head knocked her unconscious.

The ambush was found twenty minutes later, and then the news broke.

An hour later, Ronnie was recovering from concussion as River kept her at the clinic to check there was no damage to the cyborg unit in her head. She seemed fine – apart from being blazing angry and ready to get back out there to hunt down the men who had Cain – but River insisted she had to rest, just to be sure there was no damage.

_The news had hit home with heavy impact._

_Cain had been abducted by persons unknown._

_The GCPD were searching the city._

_Oswald's men were doing the same._

_Jax had been called back in early to assist Josh in the search._

_Molly was beside herself with fear – after all the trauma, then things had started to mend, and now, this..._

“We have find him, Ozzie!” she said as she loaded up her gun and threw on her jacket.

Oswald said nothing in reply, limping over to the place where he kept his impressive collection of canes, and drew out an elegant cane of polished ebony with a large penguin shaped handle.

“I don't doubt Izak is behind this,” he said as his eyes shone ice cold with the need for vengeance, and then he tugged on the handle, unsheathing a long, sharp sword hidden within, “And when he does make contact, I'll be waiting!” he vowed, watching as the light caught on the edge of the blade.

Cain woke up in a small, dark room. His hands were tied behind his back as he looked away to the wall, eyes flashing red as he tensed his wrists and the bonds began to fray. Strength, agility.. _that_ was the bonus from Lucy's healing. It hadn't reactivated the poison trace in his mind, it had done something else. He wasn't crazy, he was gifted now... He blinked, looked back and saw four armed men standing guard on the other side of the room. Izak was sat on a chair at a table, smirking as he regarded him smugly.

“It's not actually you I want,” he informed him, “It's your father. You're just the bait, Cain. I figured, how hard could it be to ambush a cripple? Granted, your girlfriend was in the car and she's some kind of tech enhanced being, but up against a large group of men with a gun to her head and the possibility of you being shot too, it wasn't hard to overpower her.”

Rage burned in his gaze as he sat there, leaning against the wall, straining again at those bonds as he felt the rope fray more.

“Where's Ronnie? If you've harmed her I'll -”

“We knocked her out and left her in the car,” Izak replied, “She's of no interest to me. She's not enough bait to draw Oswald here, all alone...”

“Where are we?” Cain demanded.

“In the old maintenance room on the third pillar of the Gotham bridge,” he replied, “And if Oswald wants you back he's going to have to meet me up there, on the bridge itself. Guess who's falling to his death in the river?”

“You are!” Cain snarled.

Izak chucked.

“Wrong guess,” was all he said, then he got up, opened the door, went outside and closed it behind him.

Cain's bonds had just snapped. Izak had not yet worked out he was no longer the cripple he liked to mock. But there were four armed men in here, and he couldn't rush them all without taking a bullet...

Izak stood on the bridge as traffic flowed by, turning his back and smirking as cop cars raced past in their search for Cain. He drew out his phone and looked to the river far below as he called Oswald Cobblepot.

”Where is my son?” Oswald demanded as he picked up.

“Ozzie, such impatience!” Izak said with a smile, “Ah well, here's the deal – you meet me, you come alone. If I see a hint of trouble, I'll have the armed men guarding your son put _so_ much lead into him that he will need a closed casket. Is that understood?”

Oswald took a slow, deep breath.

“This is my private number. No one is allowed to tap it or monitor it in any way - not even my own security, so start talking!”

“Then meet me and remember, come alone. I'm on the Gotham bridge. You will meet me _up_ on the Gotham bridge.”

“Fine!” Oswald hissed in a murderous tone.

The call ended. Izak put the phone in his pocket and leaned against the rail, looking out across the water at the city that would soon be his to conquer.

Julian was thrown into a panic as Oswald and Molly made for the door.

“What's going on, Molly? You need to call security, you need back up if this is about Cain -”

“Julian,”Molly said softly, seeing a frantic look in his eyes as he had recognised the concealed sword and the fact that Molly was armed, “Stay here and watch the kids. If anyone calls, Jim Gordon or even our own security people – you pretend nothing is wrong. Izak has Cain and if Ozzie doesn't meet him alone, he's having him shot. Ozzie won't exactly be alone, he's got me – but I have to keep out of sight. Don't worry, we can handle this.”

“Be careful!” he said as his anxiety began to climb.

Determination blazed in Oswald's eyes.

“Cain will be safe very soon,” he told him, “Just do what Molly said, stay here, watch the kids. Everything will be fine.”

Then they left, and the door closed.

Little Penguin waddled up to Julian.

“Penguin want more cookies!” he said with a smile.

“Cookies... right, let's get cookies...” Julian replied, trying to hide his nervousness as he led him back towards the kitchen.

News of Cain's abduction had spread all over the city. Lily was up in her room playing with her dolls as she made voices for all of them, and all of them were soft and whispering like her own, and it had been a normal day with Herbert busy in the building at the back of the estate, until Amy had seen the news – Oswald's son had been kidnapped?

Once again Ed Nygma, spokesperson for the underworld had been summoned to hurriedly make a statement. He looked flustered, nervously looking into the camera as he remembered he was not allowed to drop in the name of the suspect. Izak was to have no claim to fame or infamy over this...

“Earlier this morning, Cain Cobblepot was abducted by persons unknown. The underworld and the GCPD have joined forces in an attempt to locate him and see him safely released. The underworld urges anyone with information to come forward now, as if involvement in this matter is later proved, the GCPD will hand over all suspects for interrogation and appropriate handling. So now is the time to speak up if anyone out there has information. There will be more later, thank you.”

The news report turned back to the studio, outlining how Cain had just that day announced his return to the ruling circle.

“Shit!” Amy exclaimed, and she got up from the chair, went out of the front room, put on her coat and decided to go and find Herbert to tell him what had happened.

Amy left the house by the back door, making the short but chilly walk to the old building at the back of the estate. She was sure Herbert would be shocked to share this news, and he would be concerned, too, now he was considered a friend of the family...

She made her way to the door of the building. It was open. She went inside, closing it quietly behind her, and then she paused, hearing Herbert speaking quietly beyond the main door. Amy smiled, her hand slid to her belly as she thought of the child that may or may not be as different as he feared, but would love all the same.

“Is your genius Daddy talking to himself again?” she murmured fondly, and then she went inside.

“ _Never think I did this out of any kind of love!”_ Herbert said sharply, standing on the other side of the room with his back to her as he faced the door that was usually locked, but now it was wide open. It was warm and cosy in there, it had been furnished... it was bedroom? Someone was _living_ here?

Amy carefully made her way closer, mindful of not making a sound as her high heels hit the floor with caution. Herbert was still standing there in his lab coat, his back turned, talking to whoever was in that room beyond the lab...

“ _And you should consider yourself lucky! I didn't do this out of love or loyalty, but decency! It was the right thing to do. Purely because I felt obliged. Never think there will be any fondness or favours between us – I gave you life, I have ended my obligation! If you don't want to stay here, I suggest you go out there into the city and let them all know you're still alive, and take the consequences!”_ Herbert said firmly.

“And here I was thinking you brought me back from death out of brotherly love,” said a familiar voice.

Amy stepped closer. Her jaw dropped as she gave a gasp. Herbert turned to her in horror, realising a long hidden secret had been revealed, a secret he had never known when to tell her about, because before, in another lifetime, his secret companion had seen her drowned in a barrel of water...

“ _No!”_ Amy gasped, _“No, Herbert, how could you?”_

He was speechless, and so was the man who sat in a wheelchair in the hidden room. Amy was still in shock. Last thing she heard, Bane had killed him, snapped his neck and that had been the end of him.

_But no._

_Clearly, that was not the case._

He was sitting in that cosy room in a dark suit, in a wheelchair and with a visible scar where Herbert had fixed his broken neck... he must have collected the body after the war. All those years, long before he met her, and what about after, when they had married and made a life together with Lily?Herbert had kept his dark little secret for a very long time...

Amy blinked, staring at the man sat there in that hidden room.

_No, her eyes were not deceiving her._

_She was looking at Herbert's twin brother._

_Herbert had brought him back and kept him hidden ever since._

_She was looking into the eyes of Shepard Lambrick...._

“Amy, I can explain everything!”

It had been a long silence before Herbert had spoken, and now he was desperately begging for her to understand.

Amy turned to him with rage blazing in her eyes.

“ _You bastard! He died when Bane broke his neck! That was years before you asked for refuge in this city!”_

“I sneaked in and took the body, the world believed he was dead and cremated, but I actually collected my brother's body and took him back over the border where I successfully reanimated him. Although the broken neck repair isn't perfect. He's not as helpless as he looks, but he can't walk.”

“You hid him here, in our house? The man who had me drowned in a barrel of water for a sick parlour game? The man who had me revived from drowning and sent to fucking Ashecliffe to be used for experiments? He tried to _kill_ me and then he made me suffer more, and you've been hiding him here in _our_ house?”

“Not in our house, Amy,” Herbert reminded her, “In this out building, away from the house. And I didn't know you when I'd revived him. I only brought him back because he's my twin and I felt an obligation!”

She nodded as a bitter look came to her eyes.

“Of course. All those years you spent in hiding, you needed _money_ for that. This cash you have, its what's left of _his_ wealth, the part the government didn't seize, the part of the assets Julian didn't know about...You son of a fucking bitch, Herbert! How could you do this to me?”

“If it's any consolation, I'll be leaving soon” Shepard added, “I have a business venture that's about to pay off – I have contacts with off shore underworld people, and a deal is about to go down. I should get a tidy pay off for that and then I can leave this city and start a new life under an assumed name.”

Amy looked sharply at Herbert.

”What's he talking about?”

“I don't know!” Herbert said honestly, “He makes calls, he does deals – it's taken years to plan this venture of his. My brother has very powerful contacts over the border. He's making some kind of a deal involving a lot of money and assets and when it's done, he's gone forever, I swear!”

“What deal?” she demanded.

Herbert shook his head, then looked to his brother, who sat there and smirked.

“I know better than to divulge secrets to your husband, Amy. Herbert may be a little misguided, going by the results of his past experiments, but he's basically a good guy, if a little too committed to his work. He's not the kind of person who needs to know about my plans, or the plans involving Izak Coffinwood, who is currently being used to bring down Oswald Cobblepot. When Oswald is dead, my people are moving in to take over the underworld. I'm just the middle man, helping arrange things from the comfort of this room while Izak takes Oswald out and then we take Izak out and this city is no longer under Gotham control. I seem to have revealed the plan. Never mind, the wheels are turning as we speak!”

Amy looked sharply at Herbert, who was utterly horrified at the secret his brother had been keeping.

“Cain Cobblepot's been abducted, I saw it on the news, we have to call the cops -”

She gave a gasp as he grabbed at her wrist tightly, meeting her gaze with a cold expression as she stood there, phone in hand.

“No, Amy!” Herbert told her urgently, “Think about this! I didn't know about his plans! If you call the cops and tell them everything, it will look as if I'm guilty – and I'm not! I thought his business venture was legitimate – as legitimate as it could be for a wanted man needing a new identity and the kind of power around him to make him vanish and start a new life! He told me _nothing_ until just now! If I'd known, I would have gone to Oswald a long time ago!”

Herbert seemed to be telling the truth, she could tell by the look in his eyes and the desperation in his voice. But her anger was still spilling over as she looked to Shepard, the man who had caused her so much misery.

“No,” Amy said, tugging her hand from his grip, “I can't forgive this, Herbert! Whatever I'm carrying inside me, it and me will be just fine on our own with Lily. It's over.”

She hurried from the room as she gave a sob.

Herbert turned to Shepard, who shrugged.

“I remember Amy from years back,” he said, “She didn't have what it took to handle the game. I say let her go. If it had been Iris, I'd say don't let her get away, but Amy? You married the wrong woman, Herbert. She won't call the cops, she won't risk implicating herself. Let her take the kid and go.”

“No!” Herbert said in alarm, “I love her! And I had nothing to do with your plans, you kept this from me! I refuse to lose Amy!”

He turned away and hurried from the lab, heading for the door that led outside.

_But he was too late, Amy was already back at the house, sobbing as she made a phone call to the GCPD, telling them everything she knew..._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

While GCPD cars were heading with sirens wailing towards the home of Herbert West, Molly and Oswald had drove into the city, then to the bridge, parking the car beneath the entrance. When they got out, Molly hung back, looking about to be sure the coast was clear as she checked her weapon and looked up. There was no sign of Izak, but if he was up there, he couldn't see them down below, near the park where to this very day, the more friendly of Ivy's experimental flowers still grew in the nearby public gardens, fusions of iris and lilies that carried the scent of pink roses and bloomed well into winter, only sleeping come spring to burst back into flower by summer.

“I'll go that way,” Molly said, indicating to a path that led beneath a low archway, where beyond, steps led up to the bridge.

“And I shall take the direct route,” Oswald replied, looking to the stairway that led up to the mouth of the bridge where a walkway began.

They paused for a split second, both sharing a look of determination that said they would save their son. Then as Molly looked at her youthful, rejuvenated husband, she felt sure now he had health and strength on his side, he was at a definite advantage – if he had still been older and heavier, she would have feared for him - instead, she knew he could do this. He was out for Izak's blood and he was going to collect.

“Be careful, Ozzie.”

“Don't worry about me, just stay out of sight,” he reminded her.

“I've got you covered,” she replied, and then she darted up the path and under the arch, heading for the top.

Oswald turned towards the stairway as anger burned in his eyes and he thought of his son, captured and helpless. Izak was going to pay...

Cain was watching and waiting as the door opened and Izak called his men outside. He got up quickly, moving with stealth as he enjoyed his new found agility, pressing up tight to the doorway as he heard Izak give orders to his gunmen to watch the bridge.

“I want to be sure we have no company,” he said, and they set off, guns lowered as unsuspecting traffic passed by, keen to secure the bridge against any kind of ambush by Oswald's men.

Cain watched, inching the door wider as he saw Izak walk off, taking a gateway that led to a slope that led up the iron structure of the bridge.

As he darted out, he caught sight of his mother hurrying up the steps, and she stopped, eyes wide as she looked at Cain, wondering how he had made a run for it like that, without his cane, and why he was suddenly so agile after all he had been through.

“Cain?” she exclaimed.

“ _Mom, look out!”_ he yelled, ducking as a shot was fired and Molly fired back. A gunman fell and others scrambled, heading towards the stairway.

“ _Cain, run!”_ Molly shouted as she reached the top and took up firing stance.

Cain jumped up to the edge of the bridge, stood on the ledge and stripped off his jacket as he laughed.

“See you in five!” he said, as Molly looked on in horror and he dived far down into the Gotham River below.

She had no time to think more about her son, who had just jumped off the bridge, as the three remaining gunmen rushed at her. A shot seared past her head, embedding in concrete as shards flew about. She fired back, hitting one shooter, and as he fell and another stumbled, she took out a second, advancing towards the bridge as the remaining man ducked out of sight and she pushed her back tight to the wall, waiting for more shots to be fired.

High up on the bridge, Izak walked carefully along the walkway, a smile on his face as he spotted Cain Cobblepot. It _had_ to be Cain, he had heard the shots fired below and guessed he had made a run for it, and no doubt Oswald and his men were on the ground below. No matter, he would deal with anyone left alive after he had killed Cain – as he had said to Oswald, if he tried anything, he would kill his son. And his son had been dumb enough to climb the bridge instead of running for it down below...

“Hey, cripple!” he called out as the cold wind blew across the river and he made his way along the maintenance walkway carefully, edging closer to Cain, who stood there, slender and limping as he leaned against a cable and paused, leaning on his cane for support.

“I should have tossed that cane in the river, Cain!” he shouted over the heavy breeze, inching closer as he drew out a gun and waved it casually about as he carried on speaking, “You dumb fuck! You came up here, instead of making a run for it? Oh Cain, you may as well just stand there, I'm coming for you, this is going to be _so_ easy. And when you're dead, I'm going down there to take out your old man. You may as well look at me, Cain...”

He was up close now.

“ _Cain, you retard, look at me!”_ he yelled.

He turned around.

Izak's expression changed to one of alarm:

_Cain?_

_Not Cain._

This guy was slender and athletic and wore a fine suit, and he walked with a limp. But he was older than Cain - in his thirties, maybe... The lines etched around his eyes and the vengeance he saw burning there said otherwise, as if this seemingly young man had lived for many decades before, contradicting his youthful face.

And then he spoke.

“ _Wrong Cobblepot!”_ hissed Oswald.

He drew the sword from its sheath and it caught the light as it cut through the air, sliced into the neck of Izak Coffinwood and severed his head. The head flew through the air, clearing the bridge and falling to the water below as Izak's body trembled, twitched, and then fell to the walkway as Oswald looked down with disdain at his fallen enemy, and sheathed his sword once more.

Down on the bridge, a final shot had taken out the last gunman.

“ _Cain!”_ Molly screamed, and she ran back down the stairway, beneath the arch and raced breathlessly towards the edge of the river.

And there he was, emerging pale but victorious after a dive that would have killed most people, there was her son Cain, who certainly didn't look damaged or fragile any more. He spat out river water and smiled, looking like a young Oswald.

“Surprise!” he declared, “I may still have the scar, but thanks to Lucy, I'm healed with no adverse side effects, no insanity – just strength and agility and I suspect extra resilience – did you catch my awesome dive?”

She glared at him.

“You got _Lucy_ to use her power to heal you? When you knew the risk involved?”

He chuckled.

“She was just being kind. Don't be mad at her.”

“ _You could have gone insane all over again! You fucking idiot, when will you learn not to take chances?”_

Cain raised his arm, shielding himself as she started to slap his shoulder, then his arm.

“ _You little prick! You could have died, you could have gone insane, it's dangerous to use that kind of healing when there's chemical poisoning involved! You told your father you're not impulsive, no more risks – like fuck!”_

She slapped him again. He stepped back, still dripping wet from the river.

“Calm your tits, Mom. I'm okay. I'm more than okay, I'm fucking _perfect_ now! I'm the cock of the city, check me out. You should be proud.”

Molly was fuming.

“ _Calm my tits?_ I can see what this has done to you – no adverse side effects, my arse! You're agile and fit and strong and healthy – and fucking rude – _and_ arrogant, and sexist!”

He was still smiling, looking like a teenage Ozzie as he gave a shrug.

“What can I say? I'm a gift that keeps on giving!”

Molly blinked back tears.

Okay, the personality change wasn't ideal - but at least Cain wasn't damaged any more. Lucy had no control over extra changes that had happened when she had healed him. At least Cain wasn't insane. _No, he was just a bit of a pig now, and she would have to get used to that..._

“Cain?”

On hearing his name, he turned to see his father standing there.

“Izak's dead, it's over,” Oswald told him.

“And so ends a perfect day,” Cain replied, and hugged Oswald, to his annoyance, soaking his fine suit in stinking river water in the process.

“Let's go,” Cain said, “I need to get changed before I go and pick up Ronnie. I can't wait to see my baby again, I need some pussy! She's gonna be squealing my name tonight!”

Oswald stared at him.

“You might want to have more respect when you talk about your girlfriend, son.”

“He can't,” Molly replied as she looked at her husband, “He persuaded Lucy to heal him. He took a huge risk and he's not insane, it did work, but he's changed.”

“For the better!” Cain announced with a smile, “Look at me – you've now got yourself the perfect son!”

Oswald rolled his eyes.

“Oh dear.”

“Tell me about it!” Molly exclaimed, and then they walked off together, back down the steps and heading for the car, as Cain related the tale of his epic dive from the Gotham Bridge.

Back at the home of Herbert West, patrol cars had filled the driveway. Lily was watching from an upstairs window as her mother sobbed, then as Herbert walked out from the house after taking off his lab coat, Amy started yelling at him as Lily ducked back from the window, dived on to the bed and put her head under the pillow, blocking out the shouting.

In the driveway, Amy's face was streaked with tears.

“ _You fucking bastard, you liar!”_ she yelled, then she sobbed as Herbert looked back at her, his eyes filled with tears.

“I knew _nothing_ about this!” he protested.

“ _I want a divorce, you plotted with him, you lied to ME, how could you hide HIM in our house?”_ she ranted.

Herbert was slammed up against a patrol car and cuffed as he was formerly arrested and Amy stood there weeping, still enraged at the thought that Shepard Lambrick had been under their roof all this time, and Herbert had not told her...

Shepard was being helped from his wheelchair into a waiting car. She looked on in confusion as the limo driver folded the chair and put it in the back, and Shepard told him to wait, reaching for a chilled glass of champagne as he sat there, entertained by the chaos.

“ _What about HIM?”_ she raged, _“I told you he was behind Cain's kidnap! He was working for people off shore – in exchange for a new identity and a new life! Arrest him too!”_

And James Gordon, who felt weary of Amy's hysterics, stood there for a moment, letting her take her time to calm down, as he waited and finally, as Herbert was driven away, she blinked away more tears, and began to cool off.

“ _Arrest him!”_ she pointed to Shepard, then turned back to Jim.

“Amy,” Jim said, wishing he had been anywhere but here when the call had come through, but this was a serious incident, and he had no choice but to leave the search for Cain and attend, “Shepard Lambrick _was_ a wanted man in Gotham and off soil, he's wanted off soil for other crimes, too – but none of that stands up in court now. He's free to go.”

“ _What? What the actual fuck?”_

Amy looked to Shepard, who smiled and raised his glass, then eyed her over its rim as Jim explained the rest:

“Mr Lambrick was a wanted man. _Was_. In the event of his death, he became officially, legally deceased. Herbert brought him back to life with his Re Agent. A person who has been revived from death can't be tried for crimes in their previous existence. It was literally a lifetime ago. I'm sorry, but that's how the law works with revived people. However, Shepard has alleged that your husband revived him specifically to engage him - to force him - in a plot to use Izak and others from over the border to kidnap Cain Cobblepot and ultimately over throw Oswald, to destroy the unity of the Gotham underworld and take over. That's why he's free to go and your husband is arrested and charged with conspiracy to kidnap, murder and engage in what is considered terrorist activities.”

Her eyes went wide.

“No, it was _Shepard!_ Herbert knew nothing, he said so, I was just mad at him for lying to me....” she gave a sob, “You can't do this to him!”

Jim looked intently at her.

“I can't touch Mr Lambrick. But his statement will be used against Herbert. Now I have to offer Shepard protection while he remains in the city as he's not charged with an offence, he's not even obliged to turn up at the trial. But Herbert is charged and he won't be held by the GCPD – if it goes to trial, we'll be lucky. Because this is a crime against the underworld and Herbert has to be handed over by my people, to Oswald's people, and their ways of questioning and deciding on justice are _very_ different to that of law enforcement. You probably won't see him again, Amy. I'm sorry, that's the law according to the pact.”

She gave another sob.

“ _What the fuck have I done?”_ she wailed.

“It's out of our hands now,” Jim told her “It's up to the underworld to decide how to proceed. You called the cops, you stated the evidence and you claimed to have known nothing until today. Best keep it that way and stay out of it, you and your daughter have a home here. Remember, don't fall out with Oswald. It can only end badly.”

“But I was angry! It was Shepard, _not_ Herbert! I just hated Herbert for keeping him under our roof, I was there when he said he knew nothing about it! Shepard admitted being the middle man! You have to believe me, I just wanted to punish them both because Herbert lied to me!”

Jim gave a heavy sigh.

”It's out of my hands now,” he told her, “I strongly suggest you do nothing and wait for the underworld to contact you. If they hand Herbert over to us, it will go to trial. And he will be going to jail for the rest of his life. But I don't think they will be that lenient, not over a matter like this. I'm sorry, there's nothing more I can do.”

“Bye, Amy!” Shepard said, smiling as he closed the door of the limo. It pulled out of the drive and headed off towards the road as all she could do was stand there weeping.

“Sorry,” Jim said again, and then he went back to his own vehicle.

By now the cop cars were leaving, and Jim did the same. Moments later, Amy stood alone in the empty driveway. She heard the front door creak open.

“What's the matter, Mommy?” whispered Lily as she looked up at her.

Amy gave another sob.

“Mommy made a big mistake!” she said tearfully, “Don't worry about it, honey, it's going to be okay... we just have to call Oswald, I have to talk to him about Daddy.”

Then she went inside and closed the door, holding back more tears as she tried to explain to Lily that Daddy was in trouble, but it was a mistake, as all the while she knew it was her mistake – and one that she might live to regret forever...

Cain had returned to the family home to grab a shower and change his clothes and then he had called Ronnie say he was on the way to fetch her, and that he was borrowing a family car, and thanks to Lucy's healing gift, she could look forward to him being a whole new man...

 _Poor Ronnie,_ Molly thought silently as her son roared off from the driveway in his sports car, a vehicle he had once thought he would never drive again, as she guessed Ronnie would be in for a shock. She didn't doubt she would be glad Cain was healed – but the personality tweaks? _That_ would take some getting used to...

“I think we can only accept his altered personality, and be thankful the damage to his mind was repaired,” Oswald told her as they stood together on the porch.

“I'm sorry Lucy did this, she knew the risks... we all told her, never heal anyone who has been injured by toxins,” Julian said as he joined them, looking to his spouses with apology in his eyes, “I never thought she would go against that.”

“She helped her brother, she couldn't control the personality changes,” Molly assured him, “And she's just a kid with a kind heart! She wanted to make her brother better and he talked her into it. No one is angry with Lucy - or you!”

“I feel responsible,” Julian told them, “I said to her, never, ever try and make anyone better when they've been poisoned. She knew not do it. Maybe I didn't explain it right.”

Oswald gave a sigh.

“She's a child, and she wanted to help, she has your kind heart,” he replied, “Say no more about this, come here, sweet Julian.”

Molly watched as the two of them shared a tender kiss, and then she felt a sense of relief. The dust had settled. The trauma was over, Cain was better, too – even if he was a little different now – and they could move on with their lives.

Then Oswald's phone rang, and he cursed under his breath as he saw Jim Gordon's number flash up.

“I'm willing to bet he will be complaining about me lopping Izak's head off into the river!” he huffed and then he answered the call, taking a stroll on to the driveway as he spoke, and then Jim spoke in reply, and suddenly his expression changed to one of shock as he looked to Molly and Julian.

“I see... thank you for informing me. I will make the necessary arrangements from here. This is an underworld matter, you're quite right. Just a very unexpected one... Damn that revived persons clause! But as things seem to stand, there's only one way to go with this. I'll get on to my Generals at once.”

He ended the call, shook his head sadly and then took a deep breath, this was a moment when he hated his role and the power it gave him and the tasks it also demanded at times like this...

He called Jax Sterling.

“Jax,” he said, I need you and Josh to go over to the GCPD and pick up a prisoner in their custody. He's our prisoner now, on charges of conspiring to kidnap, murder and he's also on changes of terrorism against the underworld. It's Herbert West. You know the procedure. Jim is sending all the details of the charges on to you, please read before you begin. I want to know exactly what the truth is here – use the regular methods to extract it. We can't be sentimental because he was thought of as a friend.”

Moments later Oswald hung up the call, and then he put his phone in his pocket and went back to the porch to join Molly and Julian.

“This is going to come as a shock,” he said, placing a hand on Julian's arm, “But it seems Herbert was hiding a fugitive. He was hiding your adoptive father Shepard, he revived him after Bane snapped his neck and brought him back using Re Agent. It's suggested by Shepard that Herbert was behind the plot to liaise with outsiders to use Izak to kidnap Cain and try to over throw me, Herbert swears he knew nothing, says Shepard was doing this behind his back – but it was Amy who called the cops. She found out he was hiding his twin brother and seeing Shepard again freaked her out. She was furious with Herbert, and now all the blame is on him. Because Shepard is revived, technically in a second life time, he can't be prosecuted for anything he did prior to his death at Bane's hands.”

Julian's face had paled

“No, no, he can't be alive!”

Molly reached for him as Oswald kept his hand on his shoulder, they were both trying to comfort him as the shock hit him that his bully of a father was alive, and free to escape justice for all he had done.

“I don't want him near me!” Julian said in panic.

“Come inside, Julian, you know you're safe here,” Molly reminded him as she put her arm around him and led him inside, to sit him down and give him his meds, and talk to him until his panic subsided.

Oswald stood alone on the porch, a troubled look in his eyes as he thought about the situation:  
 _Herbert West, part of a conspiracy to bring down the underworld?_

_It was unlikely._

_But until he had been interrogated, there was room for doubt._

He didn't like the idea of torturing Herbert, but under the circumstances, there was no other way, it was an underworld matter, and there were set ways of handling these situations...

Oswald was still alone on the porch when his phone rang again.

It was Amy.

“Oswald, _please_ listen to me -” Amy began, “I made a mistake! I was mad at Herbert because he was hiding Shepard! Herbert knew _nothing_ about the plot against the underworld until Shepard told him everything, in front of me!”

Oswald briefly closed his eyes, heart aching for distressed Amy.

“I am truly sorry, my dear,” he said to her, “But Herbert has been implicated by Shepard and accused of masterminding the whole thing. It's a serious charge and he will be dealt with appropriately, I'm sorry it's come to this but we have our own way of handling these matters in Gotham City.”

“ _No, no wait -”_ Amy begged tearfully, _“It's not right that Shepard gets to be immune from prosecution – he was doing it all behind his back! Herbert only revived him out of duty, because he was his twin! He's been hiding him ever since and Shepard has been playing his own game! Herbert was horrified when he found out what he was planning to do – but I got so angry all I wanted to do was call the cops because he hid him in our house! Herbert's not guilty of anything but getting caught up with a manipulative bastard who used him as a shield! Please don't torture him, please, I'm begging you!”_

“If it was up to me, I'd interrogate them both,” Oswald told her, “But Shepard is claiming to be the victim here and no one can prove otherwise. Izak is dead and his associates have gone to ground because the plan fell apart. Herbert will be interrogated as laid out by underworld law. There is no other way in light of the suspicion that falls on him, Amy.”

“ _Oswald, please!”_ she wept, and his heart ached for her, _“Please, I love him so much and you know he's not a bad guy! Look at all the work he's done for River, and for Wayne Enterprises – he's a good person, maybe he's fanatical about his work and I know he has a controversial past but ultimately, he wanted to create life – he's not into kidnap or murdering underworld bosses! We both know that!”_

Oswald took a slow breath, lowering his voice as he guessed he could at least throw her one lifeline, even if procedure had to be followed.

“If you really want to help him,” he said, “You need to speak to the person who alleged his guilt – his brother Shepard.”

“You want me to speak to -”

“I did not say you should speak to anyone,” Oswald replied, hoping the message would get across in her distressed state, “It would be very wrong of me, in this situation, to suggest anything to you. I am merely pointing out that if Shepard withdraws his allegation and our interrogation methods extract no confession from Herbert, there would be a favourable outcome, we would have to release him and the GCPD would have to file it as a misunderstanding, as I'm sure no associate of Shepard's will come forward to admit any kind of conspiracy reaching beyond the border. Perhaps Mr Lambrick, considering he is a revived person, was left with after effects of the process, and may have wrongly led you to believe he was guilty. If he made such an admission of confusion, this would all stop, my dear. But I'm not advising you to do anything - and we did not discuss this matter today. And Herbert will be interrogated, that's something I can't stop at this point in time. But I have spoken to you and the rest is up to you. I'm sorry, Amy. I must go now.”

“You're helping us?” she wept.

“We did not have this conversation, my dear. Now, dry your eyes and please don't get upset in front of your lovely daughter, I'm sure she's very confused by all of this. And do speak with Shepard.”

“I don't where to find him!”

“I've heard the Gotham Riverside Hotel is the finest in the city,” he replied, “And I really must go now.”

He ended the call and shook his head, knowing he had just broken his own rule by helping the spouse of a suspect. But he understood Amy's distress – and it seemed to make sense that the one behind this was Shepard. But he was immune to prosecution, and with no evidence to the contrary, there was nothing he could do unless Herbert's innocence was proven...

It gave Josh no pleasure to interrogate Herbert West.

True, he must have been tough to have handled a prison sentence years back after one of his experiments had caused mayhem – but the guy wasn't an underworld man. He was a scientist, and he wasn't a fighter, certainly not tough enough to stand up to much more of what he had been put through. Josh took his hands off his shoulders as he sat him up straight in his seat as he stood behind him and Jax stood in front of him. Herbert was tied to a chair at a small table, and Jax leaned on it as he grabbed his face and blood ran from a cut to his cheek as he tried to focus on his gaze.

“Herbert,” said Jax, “I know I'm hurting you. But we need to know what you've done.”

“I've done nothing! I didn't know!” he gasped, “Shepard hid it all from me!”

He coughed as pain registered on his face, and then he spat blood on to the table.

“Jax,” Josh said, “Hold up, don't hit him again...”

Herbert was close to passing out as Josh checked his mouth.

“It's okay, it's blood from the inside of his mouth – but you have broken some ribs,” he reminded him, “Go easy now, let's see if he talks.”

“We can't go too easy,” Jax said as he stood over Herbert and then leaned on the table, grabbing him by the hair, forcing him to meet his gaze.

“Did you conspire to kidnap Cain and have Oswald murdered?”

“No!” Herbert gasped.

“I don't like this part of my job,” Jax added, “I'm not a bastard, not really, Herbert. I have a wife and a kid at home. I know you do, too. I know you and Amy, so does Oswald. None of the family want to see this happen to you. But you were hiding Shepard and he says you kept him prisoner. Did you force him to use his contacts on the outside to plot against the underworld here in Gotham?”

Herbert glared at him.

“ _No, that's bullshit!”_

“Is it?” Jax asked, and he slammed his head against the table.

Herbert coughed and gave a whine of pain.

“Slow down, he needs a break,” Josh said, “You wont get any sense out of him if you beat him too hard.”

“I need a confession.”

“Not at any cost. We want the truth, Jax.”

His dark eyes widened in surprise.

“I'm not torturing the guy to force a fake confession, I just want the truth from him! You've never liked this part of the job!”

“No,” Josh said honestly, “I hate it,” and as he reached for Herbert, he pulled him back to a seating position as Herbert slumped against the chair.

“He's out cold,” remarked Jax.

Josh checked his pulse.

“We need to break for a while, he won't stand up to much more of this.”

“It's been three hours,” Jax said as he checked his watch, “I'll go outside for a while, you keep an eye on the prisoner.”

As Jax left the room, Herbert stirred, slowly coming back to a reality where his face and ribs hurt and he tasted blood in his mouth. He gave a weak sob.

“Amy's pregnant, please don't kill me...”

“Just tell the truth, that's all you can do,” Josh said, and rubbed gently at his shoulder, wishing he could offer more help. He really did hate this aspect to his job. If it had been a suspect whose guilt was solid, it was different. But not Herbert West, this guy had come to Gotham to start a new life. He wanted a life here with Amy and his daughter and the baby that was on the way – he was no conspirator. But Josh knew this was his job, sometimes, they had to torture suspects, and it didn't matter who the person was, there was a procedure to follow in underworld law.

“Just tell the truth,” he said again, “It's all you can do. Keep telling the truth and soon, all of this will stop.”

“Help me!” Herbert whispered as he fought to stay awake.

“The truth will help you,” Josh replied, feeling powerless to do or say more, because Herbert was a suspect at this moment, no matter how much he doubted his guilt, he was still being interrogated and if he knew if he took his side, he would be the next one accused of betraying the underworld. Rules were strict and clear on the handling of suspects, no matter who they were...And this still felt wrong. On a day like this, Josh felt like quitting his job...

“Please make him stop,” Herbert whispered.

Josh gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze.

“Just tell the truth,” he said again, wishing he could do and say more, but knowing he had no choice in the matter. Herbert west had to go through a brutal interrogation and Josh had to stand there and let Jax do his work.

The door opened and Jax returned to the room.

“I didn't need a long break,” he said as he rolled up his sleeves again and went back over to the table, “I need to get the truth out of this fucker.”

“Give him a minute,” Josh said, “He will talk, I'm sure of it – and I think maybe he's innocent. He's very insistent he did nothing wrong.”

Jax nodded. He checked his watch.

”Let's give him ten minutes and I'll start again,” he said, “We have to be sure, and he's no where near roughed up enough to start screaming the truth.”

Josh said nothing, keeping his hands on Herbert's shoulders as he gave a discreet squeeze, all he could do to reassure him that eventually, the interrogation would be over.

Night was falling.

Amy felt sick as she paced the floor.

She had called the hotel.

Shepard had agreed to return to the house to speak with her.

He had sounded bemused by the situation – of course he was, it was fun to him, to see others struggling with their decisions and choices. She could still remember the night of the dinner party...

Then a limo pulled up outside.

She went to the window and watched as the driver got out, opened up the passenger door and helped Shepard into his chair. For a man who had been revived and had a broken neck fixed, he was looking good. She didn't doubt Herbert wasn't looking so good now, she couldn't even think about what might be done to him, the underworld didn't just question aspects, they tortured them... She didn't want to think any more on that as she remembered despite the situation, Oswald had helped her. Maybe deep down, he suspected the truth of the matter, too. But he had to be so careful when it came to those resident outside of the city, especially one who had been revived and was immune to prosecution of any kind.

As she opened the door, she stepped back and the driver wheeled him into the hallway.

“You can leave us now,” Shepard said, and the driver turned to leave, and she noticed he was armed.

As the door closed, the two of them were alone in the hallway. The house was silent as Lily slept deeply upstairs, still unaware of exactly what had happened that day.

“We need to talk,” Amy said.

“Yes, we do,” Shepard agreed, and she turned away and went towards the front room as Shepard wheeled his chair behind her.

As they entered the front room, she went over to the fireplace, sitting in a comfortable chair as her heart ached for Herbert. Shepard joined her, stopping his chair a short distance away, so they were both sat by the fire, him looking a short distance across at her as he settled back comfortably into the costly padding of his luxury wheelchair.

“I need your help,” Amy said, “You are the last person I would ever want to see again, let alone ask for help – but I love Herbert, and he's your brother! You can't leave him to die at the hands of the underworld!”

Shepard gave a shrug.

“We were never close. We are total opposites, Amy.”

She kept a tight rein on her anger, even holding back her tears as she remembered Oswald's advice.

“If you could talk to the cops, or to Oswald, and say you were confused and rambling, if you said you sometimes get confused because it's a side effect of being a revived person, that would stand up. That would make everything I said a response to you getting it wrong, and they would let him go!”

He gave a sigh and shook his head.

“I don't know, Amy. Herbert would have gone along with my plan had you not intervened, I would have forced him to comply, I would have reminded him that all of you would have been in danger if the conspiracy had worked and then you had tried to speak out. But, it failed and my associates have cut me off adrift. I seem to be stuck here for now but Amy, you never should have called the police! Of course I would use my immunity, what else could I do?”

“Herbert revived you, he gave your life back! And this is your way of repaying him?”

“He was always the weirdo of the family,” Shepard replied, “The geeky little outcast... _family.._.” he paused, his thoughts briefly shifting elsewhere, then he tapped on the arm of his chair and looked back at her.

“Back to the matter at hand, maybe we can do a deal.”

She had wanted his help, but now she saw the dark gleam in his eyes, she felt highly suspicious. Shepard was a dangerous man, but he was also her only hope.

“What kind of a deal?” she asked, hoping the price would not be too high, but knowing she would go along with what ever he asked, because she was desperate to save Herbert, and Shepard knew that, too...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“ _I gave up on Julian.”_

As Shepard said that, breaking the silence between them, Amy looked at him in confusion.

“I know Julian had a breakdown after his mother died. You sent him away to Ashecliffe to be subjected to the Tetch virus experiments to try and make him more like you, a sick bastard. But it backfired, because he started attacking people like Iris and that's when you sent him back there and abandoned him! And you shipped _me_ off to that place after I almost drowned in the barrel!”

“I had received a request for more test subjects and the timing was perfect, it was nothing personal.”

“Nothing personal?” she fumed, “You put me through torture! I almost died years later because of what those experiments did to me!”

“And ultimately the Lambrick foundation stood to earn billions from creating the vaccine to counteract the carefully cultivated Tetch Two virus,” he replied “It was a grand scale plan and I dared to orchestrate it.”

“And you failed!”

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Shepard paused for thought before speaking once more.

“I do see life from a different perspective now,” he told her, and ran his finger down the scar on the side of his neck where Herbert had fixed his broken neck, “I have a second life time, I'm fortunate. But I think Herbert could have done a better job of it – I can walk, but I'd rather not stagger about leaning on a cane like Oswald does. And I can only stand for short amounts of time. My fault, I associated with the wrong person and the deal went awry and he killed me when he was losing the battle.”

“That's what you get for siding with Bane,” she replied, “And I don't want to talk about any of this – I want a deal, I want Herbert out of interrogation!”

He gave a sigh.

“I was getting to that part, Amy. Yes, I have a deal for you and it's quite a tall order – but when I think back to how you played the game, I think you're up for this challenge. Maybe we can play again, what do you say to that?”

There was a look of horror in her eyes as she remembered gasping for air as her head was plunged into the barrel of water.

“You're not trying and kill me again, you won't get the chance!”

“Oh no, you misunderstand...” he shifted his chair closer and looked into her eyes.

“Let's just play a little game, and I bet Herbert will be out of captivity by morning.”

“Go on,” she said, eyeing him with mistrust.

“ _Would you rather,_ ” said Shepard with a sparkle in his eyes, _“Get on your knees and suck my cock right now, or leave my brother Herbert to die in underworld custody?”_

He was waiting for her response. For a moment, she did nothing, just looked back at him. And then, to his utter confusion, she laughed hard.

“Oh my god! You are _so_ fucking basic! I thought it was going to be complicated choice!”

“But it is,” he replied, “Would you cheat on Herbert? You'd actually be willing to break your marriage vows?”

“I'd do anything to save his life and if you want me sucking on your limp dick for five seconds it's no big deal to me,” she replied, “And I'll laugh about this when the deal's done. _And so will Herbert._ ”

The smile was wiped from his face as he thought about his brother, so like him in looks but oh, so different in personality...Yes, he would laugh about the price of the deal...

Shepard fell silent for a moment.

“Actually, that isn't the entire truth. I was talking to you before about family. To be specific, _my_ family. I gave up on Julian. If I get Herbert out for you, I want you to bring Julian to me. I just want to talk to him, I need to apologise. I love my son, I adopted him as a baby and gave him the best of everything and when he fell apart on me, I abandoned him! I was greedy and power hungry and I made so many mistakes!”

She saw real desperation in his eyes.

“You just want him to know you regret packing him off to the asylum?”

“Yes! And don't think I don't regret what happened to you, too! I've made terrible mistakes. Money and power can do that, it corrupts, Amy! This is my second life time. I want to make amends.”

“But you won't help your own brother without a price?” she asked.

“Herbert and I have never got along, Amy. Were like chalk and cheese! We have always had a bad relationship. That will never change.”

“But you'll save him?”

Shepard smiled. He reached for her hands, and as he briefly held them, it felt odd to have the man she had thought of as a monster sitting here, talking about making amends as he held her hands. He let go and leaned back against his chair.

“I will call the GCPD tonight and tell them I mislead you. I will claim that due to my reanimation process, I sometimes get confused. When I heard about Cain's abduction, I was thinking about the day I decided to make Julian disappear when his behaviour became unmanageable. I said was guilty, because I feel guilty... yes, that should sort this out. And you mistook my words for a confession regarding Cain. In your shock at seeing me after all these years, it would be an easy mistake to make – and entirely my fault. Gotham laws are complicated, but I do know if I do this, my brother will be released. They will believe me and contact Oswald, who will call off Herbert's interrogation.”

“As long as I bring Julian to you?”

“That's all you have to do,” he replied.

She slowly nodded.

“Okay, I'll get Julian to see you. I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll bring him to you. Now call the GCPD.”

Shepard took his phone from his pocket, toying with it as sure as he was toying with Amy as he thought about making the call, then stopped just as the number flashed up on the screen.

“You haven't thanked me.”

Amy looked hard at him

“Thank you, Shepard!” she said in a stony cold tone.

“I was hoping for a little more thanks than that,” he replied, leaning forward.

She glared at him.

“I'm a lonely man, Amy. I've paid the ultimate price for my mistakes.”

“I just want Herbert back.”

“And we will get him back.”

He drew back from her, then called the GCPD.

Amy watched as he spoke to James Gordon, explaining there had been a huge misunderstanding. He admitted Amy had not expected to ever see him again, and in her upset state, had taken his confused response to news of Cain's abduction to imply quite wrongly that he was responsible.

“When I said my brother held me against my will, I was confused,” Shepard stated “ – and I was equally confused about the conspiracy. I was thinking back to my own mistakes in my previous life, and I was also thinking about the day I abandoned my son. I am not proud of my mistakes, but they are in my former life and all I can do now is go on with my second chance and live with my regrets. Herbert's done nothing but take care of me, Jim. I get moments of confusion, it's connected to my re animation and the broken neck repair which as you know, has left me unable to walk. I am calling you to tell you to tear up my statement, because it is inaccurate and led Amy to get the wrong impression too. Please pass this message on to Oswald Cobblepot. And give him my sincere apologies.”

He listened as Jim replied, and Amy sat there anxiously waiting. Then the call ended and Shepard smiled.

“He has to close the case, and he just sent a message to Oswald, who said Herbert denied all involvement in wrong doing even under duress. The case is closed. Herbert will be returned to you by morning.”

Gratitude flooded through her.

“Thank you!” she said tearfully, and he wasted no time as he leaned closer, embracing her tightly before letting go again.

“Thank you for this chance to put things right,” he told her, “If I got along better with Herbert, I never would have called my immunity and let him take the blame. But we do not get along. And as for the conspiracy to take over the city, that's underworld business, Amy. It's nothing personal against Oswald. I had a chance to be involved in a power struggle and I saw an outcome I favoured. It was a gamble that failed. Believe me, I'm not the monster I used to be.”

“What about the bad batch of drugs that killed people, the drugs that damaged Cain?” she asked.

“I knew nothing about that. Izak took instruction from many people. I had nothing to do with what happened to Cain.”

Amy wanted to believe him. In that moment, she wanted to believe there was a good side to Shepard, who had just saved Herbert and wanted to see his son again.

“Everything you did is in the past?”

“Yes it is.”

“You mean that?”

He looked into her eyes.

“Sincerely.”

“I just want Herbert back home,” she said as she stood up, “I want to know he's okay!”

“ _Wait...”_

She caught her breath as he sat there, his hand moving quickly to slide up her skirt and stroke the fabric of her panties.

“No, we can't do that -”

“Amy, please!” he begged, “Look at me, I'm stuck in this chair, I couldn't get aroused if I wanted to!” he blinked back tears, “But I could please you. No deals, no conditions – I've got my brother back for you even though we don't get along, and I'm not asking for this, I'm begging.”

She shivered as his finger stroked against panties that to her shame, were growing damp.

“Stop that shit... “

“ I don't think you want me to. And it can be just between us, please, give me something I'll probably never have again!”

Amy thrust against his finger, then gave a heavy sigh.

“I had no feeling in my clit after the shit they did to my mind at the asylum. Herbert repaired the nerve damage, shot me full of his re agent and now all it takes is the slightest touch and I'm on the edge, I'm always coming... I don't even enjoy it sometimes, it drives me nuts! You shouldn't have started this!”

She tugged up her dress and stripped off her panties quickly, hating herself for it but unable to fight the fierce urge for orgasm now his touch had woken a sex drive she had come to think of as something of a monster since the nerve repair agent had done its work. She stood beside him, her sex smooth and swollen, slit glistening, clit large and erect.

“Be fucking quick!” she moaned.

Shepard pulled her closer, burying his face between her legs as she gave a soft cry. A few flicks of his tongue and she was over the edge, coming hard and fast and wet as her face flushed and she felt swept away by lust and instantly regretted it.

“I love Herbert. This is a mistake!”

“You've got the prettiest cunt I've ever seen,” he said, and then he looked away as she tugged down her dress.

“I'm permanently aroused. A side effect of the nerve repair and I hate it most of the time.”

“Sorry, that was a moment of weakness for us both...” he suddenly blinked away tears, and Amy was surprised at how protective she suddenly felt for Shepard, the man who had once ruined her life who was now stuck in that chair, and looking back on his life with so much regret.

“You helped me to save Herbert, and I'll help you to see Julian again,” she promised him.

Then the phone rang and Amy snatched it up.

“Hello Amy, my name is Doctor River Mooney, you've met me before at the house,” said River, “I've just taken Herbert to the clinic and he's got a couple of cracked ribs and some bruising, but no lasting damage. He's going to rest here overnight and a car will collect him in the morning and bring him back home to you. And I have to remind you that this is nothing personal and when you both applied to be citizens of this city, you agreed to the rules and those rules include, those suspected of crimes against the underworld will be handled by underworld rules, including interrogation - and he can't sue his interrogators for damages. But he's okay and he will be home in the morning and he has been cleared of all charges, and on behalf of my father I'm really sorry your family had to go through this. Herbert's fine and he wants you to know there's nothing to worry about.”

“Thanks, I just want him home.”

“He will be back in the morning,” River told her, “There's nothing to worry about now, Amy. But you might want to tell your little girl Daddy got his cuts and bruises because he sipped on the stairs. Don't let her know about the misunderstanding or the interrogation, Oswald is _very_ keen that Lily is not upset by any of this.”

“Right, I'll tell her that,” Amy said quietly, and then the call ended.

She gave a sob feeling sheer relief, and then she sobbed again, hating herself for that moment of weakness and Shepard's tongue between her legs, even though it had been good, her actions had been dictated by her overly aroused body, one touch was all it took for her to be on the brink of orgasm.

“I shouldn't have done that with you.”

“We were both weak,” Shepard said, “And you're quite entitled to hate me after what I did to you all those years ago. I'd understand if you still want to hate me.”

Amy wiped her eyes.

“You saved Herbert. Thank you for that.”

“I should go,” Shepard replied, “And next time we meet, I swear I won't try and arouse you. I had no idea you had issues, being so over sensitive down there. But if it makes you feel any better, while I was eating your pussy, I actually started to get hard, for the first time since I was revived. I haven't felt that way in many years, certainly not since I was brought back. I didn't know I could feel anything in that area, but you proved me wrong on that.”

He smiled as he blinked away tears.

“Goodnight, Amy. I must go, too much has happened and it must never happen again.”

She nodded, and for some reason she couldn't work out, she wanted to hug him, so she did. He drew back quickly.

“No, I should go, you wait for my brother,” he said, and then he turned his chair towards the door and she walked with him down the hall, opened up the front door and then as his driver came to assist him, she shut the door again. She was still tingling from that experience, and she wished it would stop, but she was so easily aroused and Shepard had known how to bring her quickly to orgasm. She dashed back to the front room to pick her underwear up, deciding this was something that should never happen again. She still didn't know what to think about Shepard – but she had promised to bring Julian to him, and that was what she would do, because he had just saved Herbert, and that fact was on her mind as she went upstairs to bed, knowing she would get little sleep until her husband was safely returned home.

When morning came, a car arrived just after six thirty and as Herbert was helped out, Amy saw the bruises on his face and rushed out to him, sobbing as she clung to him and he caught his breath, warning her to be careful of his ribs. They went into the house and quietly up the stairs, taking care not to wake Lily, and once they were in the bedroom, she closed the door and stood there quietly weeping as he undressed, thinking of nothing but sleep after his ordeal.

“They hit me a few times,” he said as he stripped off his shirt and she saw bruises on his ribs, “I expected it to get a lot worse, but thankfully Shepard called and took back his statement. Thank god for Gotham's strange laws – they let me go after calling Oswald, but he said I had to see his daughter first so she could treat my injuries. Apparently we are to tell Lily I fell down the stairs, because Oswald feels bad about a child knowing torture exists legally within his underworld!”

“And this is my fault,” Amy said as he got into bed and she lay beside him, eyes still tearful.

“No, it's not your fault, of course you were angry when you saw Shepard. It must have been a huge shock, too! And after what he said, you would think I was a part of the conspiracy - what else could you think after finding out I'd been hiding him like that? I felt terrible when I met you and learned of what Shepard had done to you in the past. But he was my brother and I was helping him recover and he was enabling me to continue my work by financing it. There was no way out.”

“ _I don't hate him any more. I know Shepard did some terrible things, but I think he's changed. He reacted to your arrest out of fear, he had to underline his immunity from prosecution because he was scared, Herbert! I saw it in his eyes.”_

Herbert was desperate to sleep. The painkillers were kicking in and he felt able to grab some much needed rest now – but what she had just said confused him greatly.

“When did you see that in his eyes, Amy? All I recall is you yelling about hating the pair of us out on the driveway, then I was arrested.”

“He came back to the house,” she said, holding back on the rest because Herbert had been through too much, and her guilt was hers to carry no matter how hard that felt at this moment, and she didn't know what to do about that yet, as right now, all that mattered was Herbert rested and slept and recovered from his ordeal.

“When did he come back?”

“Last night. He... talked about you and said he would drop the allegations, we guessed if we said he was confused and I got the wrong idea, that would be enough to cancel the charges against you because a revived person can have clouded thinking sometimes, and if he claimed that, you would be freed.”

Herbert looked at her suspiciously.

”If I didn't know better, I'd say someone from the Cobblepot family who knows the laws of this city better than we do, gave you that advice.”

“ _Maybe they did. Maybe it was Oswald.”_

He blinked, surprise registering in his gaze.

“He had a feeling I was innocent.”

“I think so. He was careful how he said it, like we never had the conversation, but I just needed to know a few facts...he wanted to help.”

“That's reassuring to know. Now I really need to get some rest, Amy...”

He closed his eyes and gave a sigh, sliding into a much needed sleep as Amy lay beside him, thinking about too much as her emotions swirled:

_Oswald, and how he had helped them._

_And Shepard... who she never should have got so close to, who wanted her to persuade Oswald's spouse to see him again, even though Julian hated and feared his father..._

She didn't want to betray Oswald, who had done so much to help. But she felt obliged to help Shepard, because they had made a deal. As for what had happened between them, she blamed that on her sex drive. Since the agent had been injected to restore sensation, her arousal had been out of control. It had been fun at first, but now, it was leading to trouble. And Shepard was someone she saw in a new light, and she didn't want to do anything but hate him, yet some how, she didn't hate him at all. The thought of him down on her made her feel guilty, but at the same time, her body betrayed her as her clit throbbed and she squeezed her thighs together, purely to make it stop as the instant orgasm flooded her body.

“ _Stop it!”_ Amy whispered, relieved the feeling had subsided, and then she closed her eyes, finally sleeping beside her husband, as the early morning sunlight cut through cloud and a new day began in Gotham City.

Julian was in the nursery cradling Gertie in his arms. He had been there since she had woken, and all he wanted to do was spend time with his baby daughter. Molly and Oswald had reminded him everything was okay, that Shepard couldn't cause any more harm to him now, but time and all the changes brought with it made no difference to him as he thought about all his father had put him through.

“I'd never let anyone hurt you the way my Dad hurt me,” he said softly as he fed Gertie, “He wasn't my real Dad, my real father died when I was a baby. Shepard adopted me. I grew up in a house with a lot of money but when my Mom died, he didn't understand how that affected me. .. and you're too young to understand any of this. But I promise you, Shepard will never see you or any of the other kids, Gertie. He doesn't deserve that.”

And Gertie smiled up at him, too young to understand a word he had just said. The door opened and Molly came in.

“Josh called in sick today,” she said, “He sounded a bit upset. I didn't tell Ozzie that part, I just said to take a couple of days off and I told Ozzie he's got the shits. It's better than saying he's probably upset because of what him and Jax had to do to Herbert. Me and Oz are taking the kids to the park today, to you want to come with us?”

Julian shook his head.

“No, I promised Luna I'd teach her some basic car maintenance, she wants to learn all about it now, before she even thinks about driving lessons.”

“Luna's not back until tomorrow, she's with Fish this weekend.”

“Maybe I just want to stay home today” Julian replied.

Molly nodded, understanding why. The news about Shepard had upset him deeply and when Julian was upset, he didn't leave the house.

“Okay,” she said, “And don't forget to take your meds while you're feeling like this.”

“I already did, as soon as I got up.” Julian replied.

A short while later, Molly went back to the bedroom, where Oswald was sitting up in bed and drinking his morning tea.

“Josh has a stomach bug?” he asked.

“Yeah, I told him to take a couple of days off and rest. He'll be fine.”

Oswald reached for his phone.

“I'd better ask Jax if he's okay. I can't have both my Generals off sick!”

Molly said no more about it and went back to the hallway, the older kids were waking now, and it was time to go downstairs and start breakfast.

Jax had woken early. Carol was still sleeping. As the phone rang and he saw it was Oswald, he sat up and answered the call immediately.

“Good morning sir, if this is an official call! If not, good morning, Oswald! What can I do for you at this early hour?”

“It's not an official call,” Oswald said, “I just heard that Josh is off sick today – he's got a stomach bug. I wanted to check you haven't got his symptoms, it's awkward if both my Generals are off sick at the same time, the staff reshuffle is a nightmare. Do you have the shits today, General Sterling?”

A look of annoyance came to his eyes .

“Of _course_ I don't have his bug! We spent last night interrogating Herbert West, not a pleasant task, but I certainly don't _snuggle_ with Josh, or _any_ of my colleagues, I pride myself in my professionalism at all times and we certainly don't stand around closely sharing jokes, coffee and small talk, we work, Oswald!”

“I realise you take your job seriously and so does Josh. I was just checking that you don't have his bug.”

“It's a ridiculous question! No, I do not have the shits, Oswald! But I am very tired after last night. And in case I do get the same bug as Josh, maybe I could work from home today, so perhaps you ought to send my emails through to my home office?”

“If I need you, I will call you in but yes, that can be done for today,” Oswald agreed, “It's probably the best idea.”

As the call ended, Carol sat up, having caught the last part of the conversation.

“What was that about, Jax?” she asked.

Jax already had a feeling he knew what was going on, and that was why he had asked to work from home that day.

“We had a tough night last night,” he told her, “We had to interrogate a prisoner who was most likely innocent, but until we got the call to stop, we had to follow procedure. I can't say more about who it was, but he's a nice a guy and I didn't enjoy it at all, I hated every moment and I know Josh didn't want to be there. I don't think he's sick today, I think he's just sick of some of the aspects of the job. I'm officially working from home today, but I'll be going out later, I'm going to call on Josh and see how he's doing.”

“That's probably a good idea,” Carol replied, “It sounds like he could do with a talk from you.”

“Maybe he could benefit from my years of experience,” Jax told her, “There's a downside to this job as you know, and sometimes, it is hard. And Josh is still learning about that.”

It was almost mid day by the time Jax arrived.

Josh was sitting alone in the front room, there was a beer on the table and he had barely touched it. Selina was just about to go out with the kids, Nathan was excited to be visiting the greenhouse and watch the vines rock Flora as Ivy took care of the plants.

“He's in the front room,” Selina had said, “You guys must have had a rough night. He's barely said a word about it. And he hardly ever calls in sick.”

“It was a rough night, and you know that's all I can say.”

“Yeah, confidentiality gets in the way of open discussions,” Selina complained as she took the kids out to the car, “I hope you can help, because last night he said he wanted to quit his job.”

“I'll do my best,”Jax assured her, “Don't worry, Selina.”

Then he had gone inside and closed the door, and now as he took his coat off in the front room and sat down on the sofa next to Josh, he saw a look in his eyes that he knew only too well.

“Selina's took the kids to see Ivy at the greenhouse,” Jax reminded him, “The family is out. Now we can talk.”

Josh felt thankful that Jax had turned up, because he did need to talk and at a time like this, only Jax could truly understand what he was going through.

“I used to think,” Josh began, “When I was a thief and living in a slum and struggling to make ends meet, I always thought one day I'd do something to get us out of there. Selina used to risk life and limb to steal for us, and I was a lousy accomplice, I got caught all the time. But I had big dreams. Then came the second war with Bane and Oswald gave me a chance to fight for the city like my old man did years before. And then I'm given the chance to live my dream, to work for Oswald, to have this great job and big house and huge salary... I have everything I ever could have wanted, for me and Selina and the kids...” he looked at Jax, “And last night I had to hold an innocent man in his seat while you beat the crap out of him. I had to watch that and go with it, even when he was begging me for help, I had a job to do and I hated myself for it. Then I washed the blood off my hands and came home to my big house and my wife and kids and had to pretend it was just a hard day at work. I can't even talk about what I do sometimes, Jax!”

“Because it's confidential,” Jax reminded him, “And you don't work for the GCPD. You work for the underworld and there will be times when it gets ugly,” he paused for thought.

“I recall a situation almost twenty years back, it was around the time Jeremiah Velaska abducted Oswald and almost killed him – the aftermath to that saw a lot of cleaning up in the city, not just the followers who were at the house that night, I mean afterwards, we were rooting out all of Jeremiah's associates for months after Oswald was saved by Molly. And there was this guy, he was young, he had a good job, worked in an office – he was just a regular guy, but he liked to brag he knew Jeremiah. So we brought him in and interrogated him. At the time, Oswald had just recovered and remember, Jeremiah had almost killed him. Molly Cobblepot has Ptsd over that, to this very day. It was a bad time. Emotions were running high and I was a loyal servant to my employer, and a close friend to him, so I felt that, I felt it deeply...”

He paused again, drawing in a slow breath.

“I wasn't getting anything out of this guy who said he knew Velaska, so I lost my temper and I hit him so hard I killed him. I later found out he knew Velaska from his days in the circus. He used to brag about knowing him to impress his colleagues. He didn't have a clue what saying that stuff implied for him when the shit hit the fan. And I'd killed an innocent man during interrogation. I hated myself for that even more when I found out he had a wife and a son. So I paid them a visit, explaining his death had been accidental. And I was living at home with my father at the time, I had no family of my own, so for the next ten years part of my salary paid the mortgage on their home and got their son through college. I never said I was the man who killed him. I just said I was an underworld representative who wanted to offer support in light of the husband's innocence. It wasn't even my idea. Oswald suggested it, because he said he felt I might find some peace through doing that. And he was right, I did. It doesn't change the fact that I went too far that day, but I did all I could to make amends, and do so in my capacity as General. But Josh, you didn't kill Herbert West, he's alive and has sore ribs and a headache and he'll be okay. I was careful how much force I applied. I've been handling high profile suspects so long it's all an act now, I know how far to go and when to stop. Even if a person is guilty, Oswald wants a confession before execution. You know how this stuff works, I wouldn't have put him on his knees and put a gun to his head even if he'd admitted being a part of the conspiracy. That order would have to come from Oswald. Herbert was in no real danger, it was all controlled.”

“On days like this, I wonder if it's all worth it,” Josh replied, “I can handle interrogating terrorists and murderers and people who are a threat to Oswald's family – but this was different. I knew he was innocent.”

“And it's not our place to judge that, nor do we have the power to make those decisions,” Jax reminded him, “I know what you mean about _real_ bad guys, yes, that's just part of the job. But it is hard when you know a suspect is probably not guilty. But we are here to serve the underworld, first and foremost. You have to leave personal opinions at the door when you do this job.”

“Herbert said Amy's pregnant,” Josh added.

“And he will get to see that kid born and carry on with his life, because Oswald called us off,” Jax reminded him, “Just remember why you took this job. It wasn't just for the money, Josh. It was because you admired what the underworld stands for. Be proud of that. Most of the time we're are not up to our elbows in blood, most of the time, we keep the peace, just like the GCPD – except that we do it differently.”

“You're right,” Josh agreed, feeling the weight lift from his shoulders as he thought about the situation. It was true that most of the time, they did serve the city, just different to the cops, and together with the cops, the pact worked and Gotham was under control.

“I am proud of what we do,” he said.

“And yesterday was just a bad day,” Jax reminded him, then he patted his shoulder and got up from the seat.

“I don't think you want that beer.”

“I don't.”

“Then I'll make us coffee,” Jax said, “And I swear I'll leave the cookie jar alone – last time I came over, Selina found it empty and yelled at me!”

Josh laughed.

“It's full up now!” he said as Jax left the room.

“So I see!” Jax called back as he entered the kitchen, “Oh wait – expect it to be half full by the time I leave!”

Josh smiled as he sat there on the sofa, thankful of his close friend's company, and now thinking about his job in better perspective. Jax was right, it wasn't all bad – it was just that sometimes, there were bad days, but mostly, it wasn't like that, mostly, it was good. And now he was thinking about Amy and Herbert, as he wondered if he could do something for them to make up for what Herbert had been through...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_The days passed by._

Herbert began to recover well from his ordeal. He took a lot of rest, and it was the only time Amy had ever seen him take time away from his work. Then he gave himself a small dose of Re Agent and within hours, the last of the healing was complete. He had spent a week off work, and now he was back to it – no longer working in the lab behind the house, but in the city, doing some research at a lab at Wayne Enterprises. He worked long hours, too.

_Amy got lonely._

_But she didn't call Shepard._

There had been a time when she was never lonely or bored, constantly aroused and pleasing herself while she was alone. But now it had become too much to handle, and she knew the incident with Shepard had only happened because of her body and the fact that her nerve repair shot had done more than re awaken pathways, it had left her clit constantly on the edge of climax. It just wasn't fun any more, she thought, as she tried to push away the memory of Shepard and the brief moment of attention that had seen her come on his face.

It was a grey morning that day, Lily was at school and Herbert wouldn't be back until late. Amy sat in the front room, giving a sigh of frustration as that ache returned and she slid up her skirt and rubbed at her clit, wanting no more than the ache to go away and leave her in peace.

The phone rang, and she answered it as she kept her hand between her legs, purely to try and silence the torment of the throbbing.

“Hello?”

“Amy, its Shepard.”

The sound of his voice made her even wetter. She was seriously thinking about putting some ice down there, but last time it had hurt and Herbert had told her not to do that because it could damage tissue. He didn't seem to get that her swollen clit was causing distress, he had once even laughed about it when they went over a bump in the road on the lane outside the house, and she closed her eyes, unable to stop the instant climax that followed. At first, they had both enjoyed how horny she was. But now, Amy hated it because it _never_ stopped. She thought about the asylum and the numbness and the nerve damage – all caused by the fact that Shepard had been the one who had put her in there, and now, after Herbert had fixed her problem, she had a new problem, thanks to the Lambrick brothers...

“What do you want?” she demanded.

“You sound tense.”

“I'm always tense, remember? It's your fault I had loss of sensation down one side of my body – those experiments I went through! And your brother fixed it by -”

“I'm guessing he injected a nerve repair agent directly into the clitoris. Well, he has his own way of doing things and I'm sure not every doctor would have recommended that.”

“River said at the time that he'd not made the best choice. She said I could end up permanently aroused and it could cause me a lot of problems, and she was right. But I don't want to see her about this. She called me like we barely knew each other when she said Herbert had been released.”

“That's because she had to put professional conduct first, saying you had met at the house to confirm it was her, and then laying out the legal stuff – that's how she speaks to people who know her if she's informing someone that a prisoner has been released. Friendship is laid aside, Amy. She's an underworld person, Oswald's daughter – she had a job to do that night. And calls informing relatives that a suspect has been released are recorded for your protection and the safety of the underworld. It's all about the legal stuff.”

“I still hate the way she spoke to me, almost like a stranger.”

“And she won't be like that if you see her in person,” he reminded her, “Maybe you should see her, she might be able to help.”

“ _I just want it to stop!”_

Shepard paused.

“If you're feeling tormented, maybe I can help you come a little harder...touch yourself a little more firmly.”

“And ten minutes from now, I'll be aroused all over again!”

“Just do it, maybe a hard orgasm will help.”

“It never does,” she gave a sigh, rubbing harder at her clit.

“I wish I could make love to you!”Shepard said urgently.

“Oh, yes... I want you too!”

She gave a gasp as a rush of orgasm flooded her body, and then she lay back against the sofa, breathing hard and feeling exhausted.

“I didn't mean that. I don't want you. I love Herbert. Now, what do you want?”

“To talk about Julian.”

She gave a sigh, wiped her sticky fingers on her thigh and tugged down her skirt.

“What do you want me to do, Shepard?”

“Call me Shep.”

“What do you want me to do, _Shep?_ ” she snapped impatiently.

“I want you to bring Julian over to the house tomorrow – tell him you need to talk about what happened, that you feel bad about how shocked he must be that I'm still around. Tell him you need to see him, and explain face to face that you didn't know I was on the property.”

“Okay, I'll do that.”

“And when he comes in,” Shepard added, “Take him over to the lab to talk. Herbert will be over at Wayne Enterprises. It's important I talk to him in the lab.”

“Why?” Amy asked.

“Because the door has a lock and I don't want him running away as soon as he lays eyes on me. I need my son to hear me out.”

“I'll do my best,” Amy said, and then as she thought of Shepard, she couldn't help the fact that she was getting turned on again. She tried not to think about him bringing her to orgasm, but it had happened twice. Fucking _twice_ now. She was sure if she wasn't so overly aroused all the time, this wouldn't be happening at all...

“What time will you be here?”

“I thought I might come over about ten am, so get Julian here for mid day. We can talk before he arrives, we need to clear the air over what happened between us, because I've decided to stay here in the city and as you know, while I'm not wanted for any crimes, I do have enemies in high places and thankfully, the GCPD are obliged to protect me by keeping my residence unlisted. I called Herbert an hour ago, told him I'd like to move into the house. He said as long as you were okay with that, I could do it. I need to be with family, Amy. And I don't want to hide away in that little room like I did before. So we do need to talk.”

She silently cursed her aroused body as her clit throbbed and wetness made her thighs sticky at the thought of Shepard back in this house.

“Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm calling Julian now. I'll text you and let you know what he says.”

“Make sure you delete your copy after you send,” he reminded her, “This is just between us.”

She gave a heavy sigh as she ended the call, wondering why it was so damned easy for Shepard, after all he had done in the past, to get under her skin like this...

_But she had made a deal._

She looked down at her phone, hesitated for a moment, and then called the Cobblepot house.

It was Julian who picked up the call.

“Hi, Cobblepot residence, Julian speaking.”

“Hi, it's Amy,” she began, “I was wondering if you could come over tomorrow? I just wanted to talk to you, about Shepard, about the past.”

There was a brief pause.

“Amy, I have _always_ felt a connection between us!” he said, “We both went through the same experience – we have _so_ much in common! We do need to do this, we need to talk about the asylum, what we went through – no one else can understand that like we can!”

“Actually, I wanted to talk about Shepard. It was a huge shock to find out he was here at the house – I want you to know, I had no clue what was going on until that day. And we do need to talk, Julian, I can see you realise that too.”

“Yes, we do. I can come over tomorrow.”

“Be here about mid day?” she asked.

“I can do that.”

“Great, I'll see you then.”

“Amy -” Julian added, “I just want to say I'm sorry about what happened on the boat, I saw two people having sex and I watched because I'm like that – I'd watch anyone having sex - I didn't mean it in a creepy way towards you, it's just me, I'm a little fucked up!”

“I know you didn't mean it personally,” she assured him, “And that's forgotten now. I'll see you tomorrow. We both need to do this to put the past behind us.”

“I'll be there tomorrow, see you soon Amy.” Julian said, and he ended the call.

Amy's guts went tight as she thought about what she was planning. If this went badly, Oswald would be informed, and that could drop her and Herbert in the shit all over again... But it was too late to back out now, the plan was in place.

Julian wasted no time telling Oswald and Molly that he was planning to meet with Amy and talk about the past.

“She said she feels bad about Shepard being at the house and she wants us to meet and talk about it,” he said as they sat around the dining table for lunch as the fire blazed in the hearth, banishing the cold as outside, the skies turned dark grey.

“Want me to come with you?” Molly asked, recalling how he had stared at Amy as she and Herbert had tried to discreetly make love on the boat to Shutter Island.

“No, I'll be okay, we're just going to talk about the past and lay it all to rest. I've said for a long time that we needed to do that, we went through the same shit in that asylum, we have a lot in common.”

“I really don't mind coming with you, love,” Molly said again, and Oswald caught on to the tension in her voice saw the look of worry in her eyes, and he reached across the table and briefly touched her hand.

“I'm sure Julian can handle talking about the past with Amy, and doing it alone,” he told her, “We went back to the island to come to terms with the past, there can be no harm in the two of them discussing it together. They did share the same ordeal.”

“I guess you're right,” Molly said, hoping her husband was right about this – because she didn't like the idea of Amy and Julian being alone, she had caught the way Julian looked at her sometimes – but, she decided, only Julian knew what he was thinking when he looked at her, and as they were both traumatised by the same experience, that was probably all it was, his thoughts about the past and the need to talk it over with her. She was going to trust Oswald on this. Julian would be meeting with Amy alone...

Amy felt guilty as hell. It weighed heavy on her as she went to bed and held Herbert in her arms, and in the morning when he left for work, she wanted to call the whole thing off. But Julian would have told Molly and Oswald about this, and if she made some excuse not to see him at the last minute it would look like she was backing out, which might seem suspicious. There was no way out but to see this through... By now, she and Herbert had talked about Shepard moving in. She had said she was okay with it, as long as he kept his distance from her – and she wanted to keep a distance from him, but the fact that she was so horny all the time did nothing to help her resist.

She had told Herbert she wanted to do something to get the problem of her constant, searing arousal sorted out, and he had told her the nerve activating agent used to revive the sensation was permanent. He had warned her at the time that there would be swelling and overly aroused sensation, and at the time, she had accepted that, and now she regretted it. And the fact that she was pregnant only seemed to make it worse, as the blood flow seemed so much _more_ as her sensitivity in such an intimate place became more pronounced. The baby was a tiny, barely noticeable bump, she wasn't even far into the pregnancy yet, and it was already making an unbearable condition worse. Amy had said no more about it as he left for work, and as she glanced at the time, she thought about Shepard. She didn't want to think anything would happen between them, but she knew it would...

At ten am, he arrived at the house. Amy had smiled politely and briefly as Shepard had come in, and then she had closed the door as his driver returned to the car, and then the limo left the driveway.

“The fact that you have a driver makes me wonder what else you might have planned,” she remarked as they made their way through to the front room where the fire was crackling warmly. Shepard decided to get out of his wheelchair and sit on the sofa, and he moved himself from the chair to his seat of choice with surprising ease.

“I'd rather get comfortable for a while,” he said, “Two hours from now, we will be in the lab – and I really hope Julian doesn't panic when he sees me. I'm fine with you staying while I talk to him, just make sure he knows you're only locking the door to make him hear me out, as I may never get another chance.”

Amy sat beside him, worry reflecting in her gaze.

“Shep, I'm starting to worry – if this goes badly he's going straight back to Molly and Oswald – and this could make trouble for Herbert.”

“My brother is nothing to do with this plan,” he replied, “And all I'm doing is attempting to strengthen a damaged family bond, something I'm sure Oswald can understand, as I hear Cain recently returned to the family after a long absence. I just want to see my son, Amy. I want the chance to explain, and try and mend this situation – if it can be done.”

“Would you like a drink?” she asked, changing the subject as she pushed aside her worries – right now, the next worry would be Julian walking into that lab come noon and freaking out...Oswald's reaction would come later.

Amy made coffee, then returned to the front room. As she sat down again, Shepard glanced at the time and she could tell he was genuinely nervous.

“For all I've done in my life, the terrible things I've got away with, I really do want to do some good today,” he told her, “I just want to see poor Julian and apologise for what I put him through. I adopted him as a baby intending to raise him as my own son – I did not treat him as such when I left him in the asylum. Back then I cared more about the threat he posed to my reputation than the fact that I should have stood by him - and I _never_ should have infected him with that virus! But back then – and this is no excuse – I was outwardly respected within business circles and I cared too much about the family name and when the virus altered his mind so greatly that he attempted rape, I was disgusted by him. I tried to have his infection reversed, but the antidote didn't work. For all that I've been, I am a gentleman, and rape is the worst of crimes...” he shook his head, “But had I not tried to alter his personality in the first place, it never would have happened. The blame shall ever lie with me and I fully acknowledge that. He needs to know that, too.”

She saw such sadness in his gaze. Amy recalled the look in his eyes she had seen on the night of the game, it had been one of absolute devastation when he had returned to the dining room, quietly apologising to Iris for his son's behaviour. She didn't doubt Shepard was telling the truth about this.

“Must be hard to carry so much guilt and blame.”

“It is,” he agreed.

“And speaking of blame, both of us never should have got so close, Shep. I think about you a lot and I wish I didn't. I don't blame Herbert for the problem I have, I knew the risks when I took the shot to restore sensation. And it is my body to blame for reacting to you – but I know it's wrong. If you're going to live under this roof, we have to agree on some rules.”

“Like no more temptation between us?”

As he asked that question, their eyes met and suddenly Amy was too aware of his closeness, of the scent of his cologne and she noticed he was wearing a costly suit, he had made a hell of an effort, far too much to be meeting with his son, he was dressed to impress _her_ today.

“Shep, we can't...”

He leaned closer, his gaze locking with hers as his hand slid up her thigh. She placed her hand over his, agonising over this. That morning she had made love to Herbert and he had taken care not to provoke her arousal, she didn't want an orgasm, she had been having too many lately and it was getting worse. He had been mindful of that, and their union had been loving and close and intimate and when she said she loved him, she meant it. But with Shepard, it was all lust and his touch sent her body into overdrive, even to the point she couldn't control her urge to come, despite the fact that orgasms left her exhausted these days.

“Shep, we can't...”

“Maybe just once more?” he asked pleadingly, “Maybe you could help me... if it can be done?”

He reached down, tugging at his zip, leaned back against the sofa and freed his cock, it was partly erect and she as she looked at him, she saw real pain in his eyes.

“You're desperate to get your sex drive under control,” he said, “I'm just desperate to _have_ a sex drive again! I do think this may be a waste of time... What am I doing? I _know_ it's a waste of time. I was revived from death with a broken neck, my brother fixed me as best he could but I doubt I'll ever have a sex life again,” he drew in a sharp breath and blinked back tears, “Maybe I deserve this. You had your issues because of what happened to you at Ashecliffe. Now look at me, I deserve to live in a ruined body!”

“No,” Amy said, moved by the tears she saw in his eyes, “No, stop that, just stop it.”

She moved closer, putting an arm around him as he pressed his face against her shoulder, and her other hand shifted down to his cock. He caught his breath as she began to stimulate him, gasping as he felt a bolt of pleasure and his cock began to harden.

“Don't stop!” he said as he leaned back, eyes closed, willing his damaged body to respond.

As Amy shifted position on the sofa and started to suck his cock, he ran his fingers through her hair, breathing softly as emotion over came him.

“Amy... I'm almost there, almost....”

She was still working on him. He gently pushed her back, and as she released him and looked up, he had tears in his eyes.

“I can't,” he said, “Thank you for trying, but it's impossible.”

In that moment, she knew how to make his tears stop.

“As much as I hate having excessive orgasms, I know if you make me come you'll feel better,” she said.

She was sitting back on the sofa now, her panties off as she spread her legs and reached for him.

“Yes, at least I can still pleasure you!” he agreed, and his mouth was on her, licking at her pussy fast and willing, and as her oversensitive core felt another flick of his tongue, Amy came loudly, crying out as she clung to him. He kissed her down there, whispering thank you, and then sat up again as she sat up too, her face flushed.

“Julian will be here soon,” was all she said, pushing her hair off her shoulder, and then she got up and tugged down her skirt and put her panties back on, saying no more about their encounter.

“I want to thank you for letting me do that to you just now in the front room,” Shepard said as they let the house and she pushed his chair carefully over the bumpy ground that led to the building at the back of the estate.

“Let's just think about Julian, that's why you're here. I just hope this doesn't go wrong, Shep. I don't want my life fucked up, or Herbert getting more shit from Oswald's people. _Please_ don't fuck this up! And when Herbert gets home, don't even think about coming on to me. I love my husband. I don't know what this thing is between us but it has to stop, we both know it.”

They had reached the building now, and she unlocked the door and they went inside, where she opened up the door to the lab and now the way was clear, Shepard wheeled his chair into the room, and turned it around beside Herbert's work bench. There was a chair close by and he reached for it, then Amy helped him to shift it closer, in the hope that Julian would sit down and talk when he arrived. She checked her watch.

“I'd better go back to the house and wait for him,” she said, and then she left the room.

Now Shepard was waiting alone, as Amy returned to the house and waited for Julian to call. It was almost noon, and she just wanted this meeting over with...

Julian arrived at the house just after mid day. He parked the car in the driveway and got out, feeling glad Amy had finally agreed to this meeting. He had so much he wanted to say about his ordeal at the asylum, and only she could truly understand what it had been like, because they had shared the same ordeal...

Julian went up to the porch and knocked on the door. Amy answered quickly, and stepped back and let him in.

“I am so glad you agreed to this!” he exclaimed, “We do need to talk, Amy. We both went through so much in that asylum!”

Amy felt guilty as she looked at Julian standing there, so trusting, so willing to talk about a terrible past with her...

“Actually, I'd like to take you to the lab first,” she said, “I want to show you something Herbert's been working on.”

“Cool, I've heard a lot about his work... we can talk when we get back. Where's the lab?”

“This way,” Amy replied, and she led the way through the house and out the back door, then they went down the path that led to the building at the back, as she silently felt terrible for the shock Julian was about to have. They reached the building and she opened up the door, then led the way through the corridor and on to the second door, which she opened, and then she stepped aside.

“This is the lab” she said, and Julian pushed the door and went in.

Amy followed, locking the door behind them quickly as Julian stood there in shock, face to face with Shepard Lambrick.

“ _No, no, NO! What the FUCK is this?”_ he yelled, looking in horror to Amy as he fought off waves of panic.

“I'm in a wheelchair, Julian. I can't even get up, I'm no threat to you, I just want to talk!” Shepard insisted.

Julian was shaking as he reached into his pocket, took out a bottle of pills, uncapped it and took two quickly, without water, trying to get his panic under control. He was still shaking as he put the bottle away and backed off towards the door as Amy stood there, barring the way.

“Please, just listen to him. I'm sorry about this, but he said there was no other way to get you to talk to him! He just wants to you to hear him out.”

Julian was blinking back tears. His meds were kicking in but he was still shaking.

“ _How could you do this to me?”_

“I'm only trying to help you both!” Amy insisted, “Just talk to him, please!”

Julian took a deep breath and turned back, looking across the room at Shepard.

“ _You gave up on me, you tried to fix me with your experiments and then you left me in the asylum! You said I was an embarrassment to the family, I HATE you for that! I loved Mom, of course I lost it when she died! You just wanted me to be like you! I'll never be like you!”_

Shepard sat there, listening, pain reflecting in his gaze as he said nothing and let Julian vent his rage.

“I suffered so much because of what they did to me in that place! I was your _son,_ what kind of a father does that?”

“I have many regrets,” Shepard replied, “And the biggest is failing you, Julian. Look at me, I'm stuck in this chair, my body doesn't function like it used to – this is my second life time, reanimated to live with a repaired broken neck in a ruined body. Don't you think that's enough punishment? There are no healing agents that can help me. I've had all there is to fix me, and this is as good as it will ever get!”

“No,”Julian said as he shook his head, now feeling calmer and more in control, “It's too late to apologise. You can shove the second lifetime theory right up your ass too, because you're still the same person! _Being brought back hasn't changed your personality – you're still the man who fucked up my life and dumped me in Ashecliffe!”_

“But are you wiling to at least talk to me about it?” he asked, “Because that's all I want us to do, talk. And then, if we get nowhere, you never have to see me again. Can we at least agree to talk, this once?”

Julian ran his fingers through his hair, pacing the floor, and then he stopped and looked back at Shepard.

“We've met, and you haven't changed. There's no more to say.”

He made for the door.

“Please, give him a chance!” Amy begged.

“Why should I? It doesn't end there, Amy!” Julian exclaimed, “What about when Bane abducted me, has he told you about that?”

There was a flash of panic in Shepard's eyes.

“What's this about?”Amy asked.

“It's in the past. My association with Bane... you can leave us to talk now, Amy...Please, stay for a short while, Julian? I'm not making demands here, I'm just asking you to please listen.”

“No,” Julian said firmly, “You've had your chances. You haven't changed, you never will!”

He dragged back the lock and walked out of the lab.

“I'll go after him,” Amy said.

“No, don't do that!” Shepard urged, as his thoughts turned back to all that had happened when he had teamed up with Bane, that was something he had not wanted Amy to know, and in his haste to see Julian, he had forgotten to gloss over that part. There was _so_ much Amy didn't know, and he didn't want her to ever know that part... But Amy had already left.

“ _Julian wait!”_

As Amy called his name, Julian had hurried around the side of the house and now he was on the driveway, keys in his hand as he headed for his car. He turned back.

“ _What the fuck do you want now? I trusted you, I thought we had a bond, I thought we could talk about the past – and you bring me here to listen to his bullshit? I never want to see him again, Amy! He was no father to me and nothing can make up for that now!”_

Hurt and anger blazed in Julian's eyes.

“But he _told_ me how sorry he is!”

As she reached him and they stood together on the driveway, Julian shook his head.

“ _I don't know how he's got under your skin but it needs to stop, Amy! He can't be trusted! He's not sorry for what he did, he just wants me back in his life because he's crippled and lonely and full of self pity!”_ anger blazed in his hazel eyes, _“When Bane returned and went back to war on the city, I was abducted – and Shepard was his partner in crime! He tormented and bulled me when I was badly beaten, when Bane had laid into me so bad I almost died! He enjoyed watching me suffer, Amy! If you think he's changed, after all he did to me – and to you – then I feel sorry for you because he is nothing but trouble, and worse than trouble if you give him a chance!”_

Julian got into the car and slammed the door.

“ _Julian!”_

He slid down the window and looked sharply at her.

“Please don't tell Oswald about today – I didn't mean to upset you, I was just trying to help!”

“I won't tell them,” he replied angrily, “They don't deserve to be upset because of what happened here today. Shepard's caused _enough_ pain! And if you think he's changed, you're wrong. He's trouble and he will wreck everything for your family if you're dumb enough to trust him! But that's _your_ problem, _not_ mine!”

He closed the window and the engine fired up and Julian drove away at speed, taking the turn sharply as he headed on to the road, keen to get away and get back home and forget his meeting with Shepard had ever happened...

“Are you okay, love?” Molly asked as Julian arrived home and went inside and took off his coat.

He paused to wipe his eyes and then he nodded.

“Was it tough, talking about the asylum?” Molly said as her eyes reflected understanding.

“Yes, very tough. But it's over with now,” he replied quietly, “I think I'll go and lie down for a while, Molly.”

She hugged him and he wanted to tell her everything, but after Herbert being accused and interrogated, he didn't want to stir up more trouble for Amy and her husband. If Oswald heard that he had been tricked by Amy, and been upset by being forced to speak with Shepard, he didn't doubt his husband would react with anger – and Amy didn't serve that. If she thought she had been doing the right thing today, she was mistaken. She was hugely mistaken to trust Shepard in any way, and it would only spell trouble for her in the future – but that was her business. He had made it clear he never wanted to see his father again, and for Julian, that was enough.

“Want me to come upstairs with you?” Molly said with a smile.

Julian smiled back, glad to be home and away from the stressful situation of being face to face with Shepard.

“No, I just want to sleep for a while” he said.

“Okay, love. I just put Gertie down for a nap and Ozzie's over at the office, do you want some lunch, I can bring it up to you?”

“No thanks,” Julian replied as he made his way up the stairs alone, “I just want to rest, Molly.”

And Molly left him to rest, having no clue just how traumatic his day had been. But that was how Julian wanted it to stay, because he didn't blame Amy for any of this. It was Shepard's fault and clearly, he was manipulating the West family – but that was their problem now. Julian was done with his father, there could _never_ be a reunion...

Amy had taken Shepard back to the house. Now they sat part, him in his chair and her on the sofa as she looked at Shepard, who was clearly devastated that Julian had stormed out.

“I'm sorry, I tried,” she said, “But he didn't want to know. I didn't think he ever will. And he said that you went along with his kidnap, when he associated with Bane? He said Bane beat him and you tormented and bullied him while it was happening?”

“I have many regrets,” Shepard said again, sadness reflecting in his gaze, “My association with Bane was part of a plan to have a share in this city when the conflict was over. The focus was all on Bane when the story was revealed to the public, my name was a brief mention as one of his many associates. This is another reason why I have to keep a low profile, Amy. Why I wanted a new identity and a new life, and I was hoping Julian would be a part of that - at least, to see me sometimes. But now I know there's no chance of that and I can only blame myself.”

“But you said nothing about this to me, you said you regretted putting him in the asylum like that was the end of it.”

“I said I have many regrets. The past is painful and hindsight is pointless, I have to live with my regrets now,” he replied, “And I know you tried to help. Thank you for that.”

Just then the front door opened and Herbert walked in.

“I'm home!” he called out.

Amy felt a jolt, thinking of how Herbert could have come home early at any time - what if he had caught them together, seen Shepard going down on her? She glanced at him and got up, then went out to the hallway to meet her husband.

Herbert took off his coat and put his brief case down, then turned to her with a smile.

“I decided I've been working far too much lately, and we're waiting on some results to come back from the other lab, so I was told there's no more to do for a couple of days. So you have me all to yourself for a while.”

He slid his arms around her and kissed her, and she hugged him a little tighter than usual, glad he was home and thankful her moments of weakness had not been discovered as she silently decided she would have to speak to Herbert and then to River about the problem of her oversensitive body, she had to do it before it wrecked not just her peace of mind and energy levels but her marriage, too...

“Shepard's here,” she said, “He came over to discuss moving in.”

“Oh, I see,” Herbert replied, letting go of her as he thought of his brother and all the trouble he had caused to save his own skin when Amy had called the cops, “I'm sure his visit today will be brief.”

Then he went through to the front room, where Shepard sat in his chair by the fire.

“Herbert,” he said, “I know I've apologised for the way you got dragged into the mess with Izak, but I am really sorry. And I won't be staying here long, just until I figure out what to do next.”

Herbert stood there looking at his twin brother with a flash of impatience in his eyes.

“As long as it's temporary, as we agreed,” he replied, “You can have the guest room upstairs – I will do all I can to help you with the stairs, I know that will be an issue for you. And please, find somewhere else to stay as soon as you can – you have a lot of enemies and I won't put up with any more trouble under this roof, Shepard.”

He smiled.

”Trust me. You won't even know I'm here, Herbert!” he assured him warmly, as Herbert looked back at him doubtfully...


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we find out more about Shepard - is he genuine or is he lying? Is Julian right not to trust him, and is Shepard using Amy?  
> Get ready for a shock...

Chapter 12

Night had fallen. Julian was warm in bed beside Oswald. He ran his hand down Oswald's newly rejuvenated body, loving his firmness, shifting closer as he embraced him.

“You look like you have something on your mind, Julian,” Oswald said softly, “Is this about the conversation you had with Amy? Talking about the past can sometimes help, but other times, perhaps not. You can tell me anything, you know that.”

He gave a sigh as he rested his head on his shoulder and looked into his pale blue gaze.

“It was hard,” he replied, “But it's done with now. I guess it was something I had to do one day, and now its done, I want to leave it all behind.”

Oswald held him close, placing a kiss into his soft hair.

“A wise decision,” he told him and Julian said no more, then as Molly came into the room to join them, he closed his eyes, deciding to fake sleep to avoid more conversation about a subject that was best left alone. It had been a huge shock to see Shepard, and he had made his feelings clear and for Julian, the matter was closed. And he didn't want to discuss it with anyone, Amy had been well intended, but had made a huge mistake. Clearly, Shepard was manipulating her. And as much as Julian liked the West family, he wasn't going to get involved. Shepard was in their lives now, and it was their mess to handle alone, he wanted no part of it.

As the days had gone by, Josh had gone back to work and laid aside his thoughts that had grown so dark after being forced to interrogate Herbert West. Now he was back at work with Jax, and it was a quiet week, too. He had plans after work to pick up Maria from school and take her to meet her friends, where she planned to go ice skating. Maria was growing into a very active kid, she loved ice skating and roller skates, and she liked to kick a football about in the park in all weathers. When she wasn't doing that, she was doing homework, or over at Jax Sterling's house, visiting Alicia. She didn't share Nathan's love of the greenhouse, for Maria, the outdoors meant play and sport.

For Josh, it was a settled, easy week at home, as well as back at work. Jax had kept a close eye on him since the day he had talked about quitting. Josh was thankful his closest working colleague was also his closest friend.

“What are you thinking about?” Jax asked that lunchtime as they sat in the parking area at the back of Cobblepot industries, after handing over some paperwork. Now they were having lunch. Josh had just finished a sandwich. Jax was on his second hot dog.

“Not much,” Josh replied.

“I bet you're thinking about Herbert and Amy. And what you might like to do for them to make up for what happened?”

Josh smiled. There was no hiding anything from Jax, it was as if the guy could mind read.

“I was thinking about it. I don't know what to do for them – they have money, they have no problems, I don't know what to offer them.”

“Well,” Jax said as he ate the rest of his hot dog, “Not everything is resolved with cash... there are other ways. Their little girl, she's pale and talks with a whisper, I know she has a hard time fitting in sometimes. The kids are all getting together for a party at the house a few days before Christmas, maybe you could help her out? I know you and Selina and your kids will be invited, so maybe you could persuade Amy and Herbert to let Lily attend. They might be reluctant after what happened to Herbert, but Lily has friends in the Cobblepot kids, and I think she would enjoy herself. You could offer to take her to the party and bring her back?”

“It doesn't sound like much of a gesture,” Josh told him.

“But it is,” Jax replied, licking mustard from his thumb as he finished his hot dog and then reached for his coffee, “The Wests won't want to go. It's too soon after what happened, it's awkward – but they won't want their kid to miss out. And if you go over to the house and offer to do that, it could make a huge difference. Sometimes the smallest gestures can mean the most.”

“Okay, I'll do that,” Josh replied, “The party is two weeks away. I'll stop by after work.”

Jax smiled.

“I'm sure it will go well,” he assured him, “The Wests are nice people.”

By now, after much thought, Amy had decided on her plan of action.

But telling Herbert didn't make it any easier.

“Shepard is moving in tomorrow,” she reminded him, “And I want this house to be as normal as it can be. I also _don't_ want to be having twenty orgasms a day – no wait, now I'm pregnant it's over thirty and I've stopped counting! I'm going to see River and ask her if there's any way she can reverse the procedure. I'm done with putting up with this problem!”

As they stood there together in the front room, it was late afternoon, Herbert had just returned from work and Lily was upstairs playing in her room. He didn't want to raise his voice, because there had been enough quarrels when the cops had showed up. But as he looked at her, alarm flashed in his eyes.

“You can't be serious about this! You went all those years with numbness, and I restored your sensitivity! You have to have orgasms, it's your right as woman!!”

Amy glared at him.

“ _Forty fucking times a day_ when I don't want it?” she exclaimed, “How would _you_ feel if you had a permanent erection, and you jizzed your pants every thirty minutes and you couldn't stop it?”

“I guess at first I might enjoy it but then it would become excessive,” he admitted, “But Amy, I gave you back the essence of your sex drive! That's precious! Your ability to come is powerful, it's your right as a woman!”

“When I _don't_ want to be stuck like this?” she said, shaking her head, “Herbert, I get that you gave it back to me and at the time, it was great. But it's getting to be a problem, I'm tired all the time, I have to be careful what I wear and how I walk when I'm out, I can't even cross my legs without getting turned on! And I'm swollen down there all the time! It's _not_ fun!”

“But you just need to accept it, Amy. It's your body, it's sacred and I won't allow you to do anything to affect your sexual pleasure, you have a right to pleasure!”

“Oh god!” she exclaimed in disbelief, “You're not defending me as a woman by saying that, you're doing the opposite! This is something I _don't_ want! You warned me at the time, there might be swelling, I might be aroused easily and it could be a permanent situation - eventually. At the time I didn't care, I gave no thought to the worst case scenario – but now I have a swollen clit, I'm always wet and I ache and I'm tired because I can't stop having orgasms! That's not empowerment, it's not my right to suffer like that, and it's not enjoyable – it's not normal and it's debilitating!”

Herbert fell silent for a moment.

“So what do you want to do about it? Because I refuse to modify your body in any way to cut off any sensation of pleasure. It's just... _wrong!_ ”

“Under these circumstances?” she said, “Haven't I got through to you that I'm in distress with all this shit?”

He slowly nodded.

“There's a solution that can be injected that can take out the repaired pathways... it will also shrink tissue. You would look normal again, no swelling, but that's just cosmetic. The clitoris would be entirely numb, and once you did that, it couldn't be reversed. And I'm not doing it for you, Amy. I can't. As much as I understand you're in distress with this, I respect your body and I couldn't undo the repair I performed to give you a full sex life again.”

“After everything I've been through, I don't want to have an orgasm for a very long time,” she told him, “And you have no problem finding my g spot, so external stimulation isn't something I'll miss after everything I've been through!”

Herbert hoped his next remark would make her smile, but it didn't.

“We could always try enhancing your g spot to distract from the excessive sensations elsewhere.”

She shook her head.

“My g spot can stay as it is, Herbert! No more enhancements for me, get that through your head right now, I'm done with it!”

He fell silent for a moment and nodded. Amy looked pale and tired, and it was nothing to do with her pregnancy. She was worn down by her excessive climaxes increasing, she never got a break from it.

“I will respect your wishes,” he told her as he stepped closer and held her hands, “I just want you to be happy.”

“That's what I want too,” she agreed, and as she hugged him she wanted to tell him about Shepard, but she did not because at that moment, Herbert was clearly upset by her choice to make such a drastic change to her body. He understood why, but he still had a hard time accepting she wanted to do it after he had tried so hard to make her feel normal – clearly, that had not worked, and the opposite had happened, and now he blamed himself. She didn't want to add to that by saying her out of control urges had led to sexual activity with his brother. For now, that was something that would have to stay hidden. Soon, it wouldn't matter any more because she was sure once her body stopped driving her crazy, she could easily resist the urge to get closer to other men, even persuasive Shepard Lambrick.

_Seeing River felt awkward at first._

Amy had already made the appointment for that evening, when the clinic was quiet, and she drove herself there as Herbert stayed at home with Lily.

When Amy walked into River's office and sat down, she knew she couldn't start this conversation without getting something out of the way first.

“Amy,” River said, “I know you explained on the phone, but I'd like you to tell me again before we can discuss options.”

“Why were you such a _bitch_ to me on the phone when Herbert was released?” she demanded, unable to hold it back any longer, “ _This is River, we met at the house, I have your husband here...._ like you barely know me?”

River sat back in her chair and adjusted her monocle.

”Amy, underworld law requires that if I know someone, under those circumstances, it's acceptable to say we previously met. But we can't talk like old friends when I'm making an official call to confirm Herbert's release from custody and his physical state. These calls are monitored. It's nothing personal, but at the end of the day, I am an underworld doctor and I work for the underworld. I have rules to follow.”

Amy fell silent.

“I'm sorry I sounded so cold and dismissive but that's part of my job when making official calls. Now I want you to put that behind you so we can address your issue. I understand the nerve repair has caused permanent swelling and excessive and unwanted arousal and you're having climaxes against your will and it's causing you distress?”

Amy nodded. Then she looked at her wearily.

“Now tell me the same thing Herbert did, that it would be wrong to destroy my ability to have pleasure, tell me that no doctor would do anything to me to stop my right to pleasure, even though it's out of control and causing me misery, I have to stay like this, I know what you're going to say!”

River looked at her calmly, waiting for Amy to cool off.

“Actually,” she said, “I completely sympathise with your situation. Because the nerve pathways were repaired with a strong agent, it's caused the opposite to what you wanted – and you can't be having orgasms every second of the day, it's debilitating for you and causing emotional distress. And you're right, most doctors in this city would prescribe pills or a gel to decrease sensation but that wont work, because the repaired pathways are not normal nerve endings, they're times one hundred to that! And I _am_ willing to treat your condition. I'm willing to use a solution that's injected, it will kill off the nerve endings and shrink the clitoris to a normal size, and you will look entirely normal down there, but the clitoris itself will have absolutely no sensation. And that will be permanent. There's no half dose with this treatment, we either keep it as it is or switch off the sensation completely - and that's what you're aiming for. I can do it for you the day after tomorrow, come into the clinic at eight thirty am and we can get this done. You will feel bruising to the pelvic bones for a few days, it's a deep injection, but after that, you'll have what you want. You'll be able to improve your quality of life greatly.”

Amy stared at her.

“But you said most doctors wouldn't agree to this.”

River looked at her kindly.

“I'm not most doctors, I work for the underworld and we are more open minded,” she said, “And I'm also a woman, and I fully understand how your problem must be affecting your life. I'll put a stop to that for you, Amy.”

“Thank you,” she said, and as she got up, so did River, and she smiled warmly.

“I'm sorry I had to sound so official when I called over Herbert's release. As I said, there are rules. I'll see you the day after tomorrow.”

Amy smiled too.

“Thank you for this, River,” she said, “You're saving my sanity!”

“I can imagine how hard it must be,” River told her, “Don't worry, Amy, it's easy to fix and then you can have your life back the way you want it.”

Julian was in the upper hallway, the attic hatch was open and he had just brought down a second box of Christmas decorations. He smiled as he looked at the holly and ivy that went around the fireplace every year.

“I want this up first,” he said as he knelt there and looked at Molly, who smiled too as she recalled Christmases past, so much had happened over the years, but Christmas always held such precious memories, her and Ozzie and Julian, and the children as they had come along...

“We should get this stuff up early,” Molly told him, “I want the lights on the trees by the end of the week – some of the other houses in the hillside have put theirs up at the start of December! There's a mansion down the bottom of the hill that looks like a bloody grotto! We have to have the house looking good, people always want to see pictures of Oswald's house lit up with the trees and the lights... I'm looking forward to getting the kids together for a party, too. Its going to be a big one this year, everyone's invited. I hope little Lily West turns up. But I'll understand if they don't want her to mix with our family after what Herbert went through.”

“Josh said something about offering to take Lily to the party,” Julian said as he drew out the holly garland, “He said he meant to go over there to speak to her parents about it the other day, but he keeps putting it off. It must be awkward, after interrogating Herbert, to knock on the door to invite Lily to the party!”

“I'm sure he'll do his best to get her to attend, she'll have a lovely time,” Molly replied.

Josh had put off calling at the West's home several times. He and Jax had driven up there on the day of their conversation in the car, but Josh had decided against it, feeling it was a little too soon. He had wanted the dust to settle. Now the party was looming closer, and he decided today was the day to call on the family. He drove up to the house alone after work as Jax had taken his own car that day, and told Josh he felt sure as he had been the main interrogator, it would be understandable that Herbert wouldn't want to see him again.

Josh parked the car and got out and went up the pathway to the front door of the old mansion in the woods, and knocked on the door.

“What do you want?”

As Amy said that, she had opened the door, looking anxiously at Josh, wearing a suit with the tie and crest of the underworld, something she had come to fear since Herbert's arrest.

“It's just a social call,” Josh said, and he handed her an invitation for the party, “Oswald's having a big party at the house, for the kids, and he very much wanted to invite Lily. If you and Herbert don't want to go, I'm more than happy to take Lily there and bring her back, I'm a father, my kids will be there and Lily knows them, she will know everyone there.”

Amy looked at the invite. Herbert had joined her at the door.

“What do you want, Josh?” he asked as tension crept into his voice.

“Oswald wants Lily to go to the kid's party at the house,” she said.

Herbert looked at Josh, recalling how he had tried to help him while Jax Sterling had been out of the room during his interrogation.

“If you don't want to personally attend, I'm more than happy to take Lily to the party with my own kids, she knows Maria and Nathan. Flora is a little young to go, but my two eldest will definitely be there. I can take Lily and bring her back, if that's better for you, after what happened, in case you don't want to see Oswald yet.”

Amy looked at Josh, recalling how Herbert had told her he had treated him well.

“Just a minute!” she said, and the door swung shut with a soft thud.

Josh stood there, waiting for a response.

Moments later the door opened up again.

“Will Jax Sterling be there?” Herbert asked.

Jax had already planned ahead for this. Carol would be taking Alicia to the party, and fetching her when it was over. As much as Jax loved to stay for drinks with Oswald at the kid's party, this year he would not, purely to make life easier for the Wests after what Herbert had been through. It had also not escaped his memory that he had once interrogated Amy, too – and memories would be raw. On the day of the party, Jax had chosen to work instead.

“No, he's working that day. But I will be there as I often help out on family occasions.”

Amy and Herbert exchanged a glance.

“Okay, that's fine, you can come over and drive Lily to and from the party. I know Molly has knowledge of her dietary requirements. Thank you, Josh,” Herbert replied.

“Tell Oswald we said thanks, too.” Amy added, recalling how Oswald had dropped heavy hints on how to get Herbert released from custody after his arrest.

As Josh left, Amy closed the door and looked at her husband.

“I'm fine with Josh,” she said.

“So am I,” Herbert replied, “But I don't want to see Jax Sterling again. I couldn't be in the same room as him after how many times he hit me.”

Amy nodded.

“I recall when he interrogated me... I forgave him once, but not after this. Not after seeing your bruises. I know the underworld have their ways, but I could never be comfortable around the guy again.”

Come morning, Shepard Lambrick had wasted no time moving into the house. Amy had explained to Lily that this was Uncle Shepard, and he would be staying with them for a while. Herbert looked on saying nothing about how fast he wanted _Uncle Shepard_ out of their lives after the lies had told when the cops had showed up. But right now, wasn't a matter up for discussion, as his mind was on Amy more than his brother – Herbert didn't want her to have the procedure. He wasn't sure how he would feel about her afterwards, knowing what she had chosen to do to herself. He got that it would relieve her problem, but he feared she would regret the decision or that sex would just be strange afterwards, like something was missing for her. Amy had dismissed his fears, and then kept busy by spending time with Lily as she showed her the invitation and talked about the party. It was Herbert who had decided to take Lily to school that day, letting Amy rest at home before she went back to the clinic next morning. Amy had tried to insist on doing the school run, but he reminded her how much she hated that bump in the road, and how carefully she had to drive over it to ensure her body didn't react to the sudden jolt, and he wanted her to have no more worries.

Her mind was made up firmly, but he still hoped she would still have second thoughts, but he said no more on the subject as he left the house to take Lily to school and then go to work. It would be his last day at work until Amy was recovered, and that wouldn't take long at all. Maybe three days for the bruising to stop, and she would feel fine and look normal, as if nothing was missing. Herbert wished he didn't feel as if she had something missing, because physically, she would not. Then he guessed maybe that way of thinking was his problem and not hers, and he needed to get used to the fact that she wanted this, and she was going to do it.

Amy waited until Herbert had left with Lily, she busied herself upstairs for a while, trying to keep her mind off tomorrow and what it would bring. She wanted this, she would not be changing her mind – but there was something that kept coming back to her that wouldn't stop, and she struggled to make sense of it. That feeling stayed with her throughout the morning. Finally, she realised what it was. It was something she never wanted to acknowledge but now she had, it seemed only right she did this one last favour for someone who could only feel fulfilled one way, who would never feel true satisfaction again after tomorrow...

“ _Shepard.”_

He was downstairs, on the sofa, comfortable with a coffee on the table and by the look in his eyes, his thoughts had been far away. Maybe with Julian. Or maybe with one of his many grand schemes that had failed. She couldn't tell which as she walked over to him and he ran his gaze over her black silken night gown. She had chosen it especially for him, purely for this moment. The gown had a slit up the side, high enough show a flash of her stocking top. She had no panties on underneath and as she sat on the sofa and he laid back with a look of surprise in his gaze, she carefully knelt over him, her gown to her hips as she looked into his eyes.

“ _I decided, one more time would do no harm... eat my pussy, Shepard! Make me come!”_

He didn't need a second telling. He reached for her, grasping at her hips as she lowered her body and he lapped hard at her swollen sex, his tongue firmly stroking at her clit as torment became bliss for a fleeting second, then her body throbbed and ached and she felt exhausted all over again. She had to draw back, sitting down quickly, as being on her knees like that after coming had caused a rush of blood to her groin and a second climax was threatening, and it was more than she could stand.

“Amy, wait!” he said as she got up, and he caught her wrist.

She turned back to him.

“Just remember this for what it was, you needed to feel like a man and I gave you that. It was entirely for you, just you, not me” she said, and then she tugged free from his grip and left the room as Shepard sat there bewildered, wondering why she had come to him so warm and left so coldly.

Back at the Cobblepot house, Julian was still thinking about his father. That unexpected meeting forced on him by Amy had stayed on his mind ever since, and he had been quiet lately – too quiet. He tried to pretend nothing was wrong, but Molly sensed it and so did Oswald and it was Oswald who spoke to him about it while Molly was busy with the kids, he went into the bedroom where he found Julian sitting by the window, he was deep in thought as he looked out, watching the bare trees sway on a breeze that now belonged to the month of December as the skies looked a shade of slate that had belonged back in November.

“You look so far away,” he said as he sat beside him, relaxing on the couch as he stretched out a leg that didn't ache half as much as it used to since Lucy had turned back his ageing process.

Julian turned from the window and met his gaze.

“I was thinking about the past – about my life before I met you, about the asylum, about my father...He's been on my mind a lot lately. I know he'll never change. And I never want to see him again.”

“But you could if you wanted to,” Oswald reminded him, “I know he's a man who has done terrible things, but he can't be prosecuted for them now. And all he has is his brother's sense of duty to keep him company, that's why Herbert hid him for so long. A sense of duty, not fondness or loyalty. Shepard has done great wrongs to you, and to this city when he worked with Bane. But he's been revived and maybe he hasn't changed at all for it – maybe he's still the same person he was before. But he's still your father, even though he adopted you, he's still your father all the same and if you wanted to see him, I would understand. He's not dead any more, Julian. That's something to consider even if you just need to see him once, to ask him why he behaved the way he did years ago.”

Julian shook his head, deciding to stay silent about that forced meeting. Amy and Herbert deserved a decent Christmas with Lily, not for Oswald to send some guys round - maybe even Jax and Josh again - to drag the Wests from their home, to interrogate them over him being locked in a room and forced to speak to Shepard. And it could come to that, because Oswald would be enraged.

_No, he decided._

_He would never speak of it._

“I'm okay,” Julian said with a smile, “I was just thinking about the past. It doesn't mean I want him back in my life. But thank you for asking. I love you, Ozzie.”

Then he embraced him as the two of them shared a kiss, silencing all conversation.

When morning came, Amy left early for the clinic, after reassuring Herbert all would be well. He hugged her and said he was sure it would all be fine, leaving aside his own feelings on the matter as she left and he closed the door and put his mind to getting through a day without her – a day that he felt would change her forever, and not in a way that he was comfortable with. The house was quiet, Lily was still asleep. As he went back upstairs, he saw the door to Shepard's room was open, and Shepard was sitting up in bed, he was about to reach for the remote control to turn on the TV and watch the morning headlines at low volume, and then he glanced over and saw Herbert standing there.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

Herbert entered the room, went over to his bed and paused for thought.

“This is of no interest to you, but I want you to know Amy had issues with intimate sensitivity after what she went through in the asylum. Which _you_ are entirely responsible for, because you sent her there! And now she's on her way to see River, who is perfectly wiling to inject her with a substance that will shut off her ability to orgasm, because when I repaired nerve pathways with a healing agent, the effects became too much to bear. This is your fault, Shepard! Amy was tormented by her urges, it went beyond pleasure, it became more like a torture for her, it was constant. I just hope you find somewhere else to live soon, because I _don't_ want you under this roof!”

Then he turned away and left the room, as Shepard sat there staring after him, stunned by all he had said... Yes, he had known Amy was suffering with her overly aroused body, but he had not expected her to do something so drastic about it.. and ultimately, the experiments at the asylum had left her with lack of sensation in many parts of her body. He knew this was his fault. And Herbert had tried to fix a problem that couldn't be fixed perfectly and now, Amy was doing this?

He grabbed his phone and called her number, keeping his voice low.

“Amy,” he said, “I didn't know you had come to this decision. Please call me back as soon as you get this message, just talk to me. I've just realised why you did that to me yesterday, you did it entirely for me, just like you said. I realise you must be in a lot of pain with your condition, and yet you wanted me to feel good about myself...” he fought back tears, _“I don't deserve you! Just call me back, as soon as you can.”_

He finished the message and hung up, hoping she would check her phone and take the call before making such a drastic decision.

Amy's phone was already turned off, and she was on her back on the table in the treatment room. All she had felt was ice cold gel applied to the area, and now it was numb. But she felt pressure go deep and gave a whine of discomfort as the needle went in and sunk deeply and River injected the contents of the syringe, watching as her badly swollen core swelled further still, and then the redness began to fade to pink as the tissue started to rapidly shrink.

“Is it done?” Amy asked as she lay there.

“Not quite...”River took up a second syringe, repeating the procedure,as again, pink tissue swelled and quickly retracted, and again Amy felt deep pressure. River was looking intently at her, watching her body as all signs of swelling disappeared. Now her clit as small and pink and showed no sign of swelling, and as she watched the last of the redness fade, she set the needle aside and carefully wiped the injection site, pausing to apply a drop of healing agent to close the wounds. Now her pussy looked normal, in fact, it looked perfect – but all sensation brought back by the nerve repair had been cancelled out.

“It's done,” she said, “And I hope you won't change your mind about this. You will never feel aroused externally again.”

Amy breathed a relieved sigh.

“Thank fuck it's over!” she said, and then she gave a sob.

“Are you sure you're okay, this is what you wanted?” River asked again.

Amy looked up at her and nodded.

“I'm not upset. I'm crying because I'm relieved! Thank you, I've got my life back!”

River made her comfortable, and then spoke again.

“You'll need to rest for a few hours with your legs open,” she told her, “And then you can go home. You won't feel any pain until the gel wears off, then all you will feel is bruising in the pelvic bones. That should fade within three days. I'll drive you home around mid day.”

“Thanks,” she said, managing a smile as she looked at River, “It's so good to be back in control, to have a normal life!”

“It's never a good idea to restore damaged nerves entirely with a healing agent” River told her, “That is why this happened to you – but I'm glad you feel happier now it's been resolved.”

“I am happier,” Amy replied.

And as she said that, she silently hoped that Herbert would agree with her. She knew he was uneasy about this, and it was something he would have to get used to – she just hoped that her solution to this problem wouldn't cause difficulty in their marriage. Just then, as she glanced at her patient, River noticed Amy's flat belly had a tiny bump.

“Are you pregnant?” she asked.

“No,”Amy lied, remembering Herbert's concerns and their plan to have the child secretly, “I can't have kids with Herbert...he's used too much of his own Re Agent, it's changed his DNA. Why?”

“You just look like -”

Amy's hand shifted to her belly covering the tiny hint that a baby was in there. She already knew the solution she had been injected with would only affect the relevant tissue, the baby was safe – but she couldn't let anyone know about it, her pregnancy had to be kept secret...

“I never got my figure back after I had Lily,” she said, and laughed softly, “Just let me rest, River. I just want to go home and start enjoying a quiet life without unwanted orgasms every five minutes. This really has made a difference to me.”

“I'm glad you feel that way,” River said warmly and then she left the room, leaving her to rest as Amy lay there and breathed a relieved sigh. She was glad the procedure was over, and successful. She was also glad River had believed her about there being no baby – they had to keep the kid a secret because as Herbert had said, it certainly wouldn't be human...

River drove Amy home at mid day.

She was fine to walk into the house and River left her with Herbert, who said he would make sure she had plenty of rest. Now the door was closed and they were alone downstairs, Herbert hugged her tightly.

“I respect your decision,” he said.

“And next time we make love it's going to be great,” Amy reminded him, “And I'll come easily through penetration, you know I can – and afterwards, I can hold you and we can be together without my body demanding more and more until it gets ridiculous. It's all okay, Herbert.”

“And I insist on carrying you upstairs to rest,” he said as he lifted her into his arms.

Shepard had heard the entire conversation and he was up and dressed now and he backed his chair away from the door, pushing it closed as Herbert carried Amy off to the bedroom. He waited there until he heard them talking again, and then Herbert said he wouldn't be gone long and as he opened up the door to his room, Shepard turned from the window, pretending to have heard nothing.

“Amy's back and she's fine,” he said, “I'm going into town to collect a prescription for her pain relief, she's going to have some discomfort from the bruising... Could you watch out for her while I'm gone? Surely you can't mess that up?”

“Of course I will,” Shepard replied, and Herbert glared at him.

“ _I still want you out of this house. And if you do anything to Amy while my back is turned, I'll kill you!”_

Shock registered in Shepard's eyes.

“I would never harm her! I told you, I've changed!”

“I don't believe you,” Herbert replied, “If she's in pain, if she needs me, you call me. If _anything_ is wrong when I get back I mean it, I'll kill you!”

Then he stormed off out of the room and down the stairs. Moments later the front door closed and the car started up in the driveway. Shepard wheeled his chair out of the room and down the hallway, entering the main bedroom as Amy lay there in bed, undressed with the sheets up to her chest.

“I'm okay, Shep,” she said, “I just need a little rest and the bruising will be gone and then I can have my life back in order.”

Remorse shone tearfully in his eyes as he reached her bedside, then he shifted out of his chair and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Herbert was right. He said to me, it was my fault you went through with this today. My fault for sending you to that place, for the damage you suffered... He wouldn't have had to put it right, and you wouldn't have had this problem and needed to resort to this, if I'd been a better person long ago.”

Amy caught his hand and looked into his eyes.

“Shep, even if I'd had no damage, I was dating a scientist who had all kinds of drugs in his lab. I was such a horny person I probably would have asked for my clit to be enhanced chemically without the damage demanding it. This could have happened anyway, and I would have still done this. I heard your message. You sound like _everything_ is your fault. I'm the one who wanted the nerve repair and I knew it could have got out of control, and it did. So it's not _all_ your fault. I try and be angry with you but somehow, when I look at you now, I can't be. I don't know why.”

He placed his hand on her cheek as she shifted closer to him and sat up, leaning back against pillows. What she saw in his eyes startled her. It wasn't a look of lust, it was something else...

“Your body,” he stated, “Is perfect to me. I know it's still physically intact, and you chose to shut off the sensation when become too much to bear, but in my eyes, you are nothing less than perfect. You have always been perfect. When we first met, I did notice you. But Iris was such a good game player that I became distracted by the game. And when you failed your challenge, I couldn't let you die. That was why I had you revived, and just in time. But I was selfish, I had no room in my life for anything but my plans and they needed more test subjects at the asylum, and I was swept away by my plans of taking over the world with the antidote to my developed version of the Tech virus! I was a monster - but no longer!”

“What are you trying to say, Shep?” Amy said quietly as she looked into his eyes, still alarmed at what she saw there.

And then he said it.

“ _I love you!”_

She felt a jolt to her heart that she wished she could shake off.

“I'm pregnant,” she replied, “The baby is Herbert's and his DNA is altered because he's used his own Re Agent way too much. The baby won't be normal, but we're keeping it. And I love my husband, I'm sorry.”

She felt real pain at the look of loss she saw in his eyes.

_Shit, he had meant every word he just said._

Shepard wasn't perfect, far from it – but his love for her?

_It was real._

“And I can't argue with that,” he said quietly as tears broke his voice, “Herbert loves you too, and I have no place laying a hand on you even for a second, Amy. I'm sorry we ever started this. I just want you to be happy.”

He drew his hand back from her face, then he blinked away tears as he shifted back into his chair and turned it around and left the room. Amy laid back on the bed, resting as instructed, feeling physically fine, but emotionally? She didn't know why she felt in such turmoil over Shepard. She still couldn't hate him... Maybe it was because – no, she couldn't let herself entertain the thought:

_Of course she didn't love him._

_How could she, after all that had happened?_

Amy pushed those thoughts aside, thinking instead about Herbert, and their future as she waited for him to return.

By the time Herbert had got back to the house, he had been gone for forty minutes. He had Amy's meds in his pocket as he opened up the front door and then he went inside, and made his way upstairs to check on Amy. She was sleeping soundly and as he entered the room a floorboard creaked and he cursed under his breath. She raised her head from the pillow and smiled, relived her husband was home and now, there could be no more thoughts of Shepard.

“I'll leave these here,” he said softly, and placed the pills next to her bed, then he leaned over her, kissing her cheek fondly.

“Thanks, Herbert,” she replied.

“I'll leave you to sleep now,” he told her, and then he left the room and closed the door softly.

Now he knew Amy was okay, he wanted to thank his brother for watching over her, and he had been thinking about the way he had spoken to him and wanted to apologise. He made his way back down the hall, where Shepard's door was ajar.

And that was when he noticed something was amiss.

The room was empty, but the door to the en suite bathroom was wide open and he could see inside. His eyes went wide as he rushed through the bedroom, then into the bathroom where he slipped and almost fell, but managed to step over the blood and sit his slumped over brother upright in his wheelchair. Shepard's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow.

Herbert looked at him in horror.

“ _Why did you do this?”_ he said, seeing the open razor in Shepard's hand, his other hand hung limp at his side, and his wrist was slit wide open...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“ _What did you do it for?”_

As Herbert demanded to know the answer, Shepard opened his eyes slowly. He was on his bed, night had fallen and the lamp was on. He recalled taking the blade to his wrist that afternoon, and bleeding out and then passing out before the job could be finished, and he gave a weak sob.

“Too many complicated reasons and I do _not_ wish to share it!”

“I suggest you start talking,” Herbert said, and he still sounded as angry as he felt, “I had to explain to Amy that you'd cut your wrist, and she's been crying over it! I'm not entirely why she should care at all that you tried to die today, but I've spent time and effort closing your wound and thankfully, I had blood at the lab so I was able to give you a transfusion! So you're not going to die, Shepard. But I do need an answer.”

“I have to many regrets,” he said, giving a tired sigh, “I've failed at everything in life – I had big plans, they went to dust.... and Julian, my son... I told him I was sorry, he didn't want to know!”

He gave a quiet sob. Herbert stood there next to the bed, staring down at him as he realised exactly what that implied.

“You _saw_ Julian?”

“Amy brought him over here for me... but he walked away!”

“ _Amy did what?”_

“No, don't bring her into it... she can do no wrong, Herbert. Appreciate her, love her...”

Herbert left his bedside.

“I don't have time to waste on your rambling, go back to sleep!” he snapped, and then he went down the hall and back to the main bedroom, where Amy sat there in bed, still resting, and wiping her eyes as she tried to stop her tears yet again.

“Is he okay?”

“Why do you even care?” Herbert felt utterly confused, “He's been nothing but trouble, Amy! He always will be!”

“I just want to know he's going to be okay,” she said, silently thinking on his confession of love and how she had rejected him, “And it's such a horrible thought, that he felt he had no other choice but to do that!”

Herbert sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Are you taking the pain meds?”

“Yes, and I feel mild bruising and it's okay! Worry about him, not me!”

She had said that with such urgency.

“Why should I?” he said, “He's always been trouble, Amy!”

She reached for his hand, holding it in her grasp as she looked into his eyes.

“Thank you for finding him in time and helping him and cleaning up the blood and the mess before you picked Lily up from school. I don't want her to know about this. Just tell her Uncle Shepard is sick and needs some rest. And please Herbert, don't throw him out – he needs us.”

Herbert fell silent for a moment.

“I find it hard to understand why you're so forgiving after all he did in the past – to you, and to Julian! You both know his dark side, yet here you are asking me to take pity on him?”

“Yes, I am,” she said, “Please, he needs our help.”

Herbert looked down at their joined hands, and then he met her gaze, slowly nodding.

“Okay, I'll let him stay. But he needs to explain why he did this – I do not believe he suddenly gives a shit about Julian! And I know he's recovering and rambling but he just said something odd to me. He said you helped him to meet with Julian?”

She shook her head.

“He's confused, I don't know what he's taking about,” she replied, hating the fact that she had just lied – but to explain would be far too complicated, it would reveal a secret kept and there were so many other secrets, like the many times she had shared encounters with Shepard. It all needed to be covered up, and she wanted to move on from this, so they could be a family again – no matter how she felt about Herbert's brother. She couldn't explain it, she couldn't hate the guy. She was even crying over him now. And that had to to stop for Herbert's sake.

“I'm okay now,” she assured him, “Go and watch your brother, I'm going back to sleep.”

“Yes, you need to rest,” he said, and as she reached for him, he leaned closer and kissed her cheek, then he let go of her hands and left the room, to watch over a brother who he still felt was more trouble than he was worth.

The days of December went by quickly, and now, the lights were blazing in the trees around the Cobblepot estate and the house was looking festive. That afternoon, just before it got dark, the kids all gathered for the party. Little Penguin made straight for the buffet, climbing on to a table until Josh reached for him and helped him to scramble back down as the small chubby boy stuffed chicken drumsticks into his pockets.

“There's enough for everyone, slow down – and don't climb on the table!” he said.

“All for Penguin!” Little Penguin replied with a smile, and grabbed a plate of cakes and ran off laughing towards the front room.

Alicia, Lily and Maria were together, laughing as Christmas music played and Luna watched over her siblings. Cain had showed up with Ronnie, and loudly said, “ _Hey Dad, your number one son is here!”_ before embracing him warmly as he laughed and added that although he wasn't a kid any more, he didn't want to miss a family party. Josh divided his time between watching his own kids and the Cobblepot kids and their invited friends.

By six pm, a very well fed Little Penguin was making Lucy and Felix laugh as he turned around slowly, wrapping tinsel about his round body as it wound off the Christmas tree. He already had baubles in his flippers, next he would run around yelling, _I'm a Christmas tree!_

Oswald looked on, sat beside Julian and Molly in the front room, enjoying the simple pleasure of seeing the kids have fun. By now Julian had put his meeting with Shepard to the back of his mind, as he watched the kids enjoying the party and put his arm around Molly. It was a normal family occasion, and a reminder that life was very much back to normal.

Josh left the room, looking down the hallway to see Little Penguin was turning slowly around, laughing as the tinsel and baubles shimmered.

“Penguin is a shiny Christmas tree!” he yelled, and laughed loudly.

Josh was still standing there as a small, chilly hand reached for his and tugged on it. He looked down to see Lily standing there in a white dress with a blue ribbon in her hair. She looked so ghostly with her pale complexion, and as she spoke, he had to lean closer to hear her soft whisper:

“ _Sometimes when you see it, you know. And then you see it again. Lucy can do it and so can I. And soon, you will, too.”_

He looked at her in confusion.

“Is this a game, Lily?”

She shook her head.

“It's real,” she told him, “You'll know, when it happens.”

Then she smiled, let go of his hand and ran off to play as Felix called her name and she went off to watch Little Penguin. Josh shook his head, making no sense of what Lily had just said.

“Josh?” Oswald had tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned to him.

“Yes, Oswald?”

“The lights have come down on the tree outside the house. Could you put them back up, I can't take security off the gate and it looks a bit of a mess out there.”

“Fine, I'll do it now, sir,” he replied, and he left the party.

Josh went outside, where the lights that had been fixed to the large tree were trailing off. A ladder had been left there, opened up and ready, and it was a steep climb.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced back to see Selina had just opened up the front door.

“Lights,” he said, and she looked up at the tree, watching as he climbed the ladder.

“Be careful!” Selina called out.

“I think I can handle a few lights!” he chuckled, and went up to the top, reaching for the lights. As he pushed them back into place, the bulbs slipped again and he stretched for the wire, and that was when he slipped, lost his balance and fell from the ladder. He felt a jarring thump as he landed on the driveway and heard Selina scream, and then everything went dark.

Josh woke up with an aching head. He didn't open his eyes right away, as he lay there wondering if he was dreaming:

What had happened?

He remembered.

They were in the car, him and Jax, and Jax had just loaded his weapon.

“It's not about who gets here first,” he said, “Us or the GCPD, we just need to contain this situation!”

They got out of the car. It was dark, and the lights were off in the house. Josh looked back at Jax.

“We should take the back way.”

“No,” Jax said, “Door's open, I'll take the front. There's no time to waste. Cover me.”

And he had gone in. Josh ran behind him, up steps and through an open door. Shots were fired, and Jax was hit and he slumped against the wall, bleeding from bullet wounds to his gut. Josh turned around as the gunman opened fire, the last thing he saw was the flash of the weapon discharging as a bullet slammed into him...

_No, that didn't happen..._

Josh opened his eyes, taking in a sharp breath. He looked around, he was in a room at River's clinic and Selina was at his bedside.

“You idiot!” she said.

“I got shot... Jax is dead...”

She looked at him in utter confusion.

“No, you slipped on the ladder fixing the lights for Oswald, you fell and knocked yourself out! River said you're lucky to have a minor concussion!”

His head vaguely ached as he sat up.

“Oh yes, the party...”

Now he felt confused, what had he just seen? There had been no shoot out, he had not been shot, neither had Jax...

“I think I just had a bad dream.”

“And I've had a nightmare too!” Selina exclaimed, “Thank god Ivy's at the greenhouse with Flora. I told her what happened, she said she's coming over to see you tomorrow, River said you can come home in the morning, you have to stay here tonight.”

“Where are the kids?”

“Back at the house with Dad and Molly and Julian,” she told him, “Don't worry, I called to tell them you're okay. I'm just glad the kids didn't see you fall. How can you be one of my father's top guys and slip from a ladder hanging Christmas lights?” she leaned in as her expression softened, and then they shared a kiss.

“I have to go back for the kids now, Molly wanted them to enjoy the rest of the party now they know you're okay. And I have to take them home soon. Get some sleep, Jax is picking you up in the morning, River said you need to take a few days off work. _Please_ don't have any more accidents!”

“I'll try not to!” he said with a smile, and she kissed him again and then left the room.

Josh laid there in bed, his head vaguely aching. He thought about that weird... _dream?_ Was it a bad dream? It had seemed so real, the flash of the gunfire in the dark...

Josh closed his eyes, snapping them open quickly as again, as he saw them rush into the dark building, and shots slammed into Jax as he turned to face the shooter.

“It's not real!” Josh whispered, and then he slipped into an uneasy sleep.

Back at the home of Herbert West, in the days that had gone by since Shepard had silt his wrist, there had been a settling of the atmosphere. The shock of the event had faded away as Shepard had recovered well with plenty of rest. He had apologised for his actions and claimed to have been drinking and therefore not thinking clearly at the time it had happened. He had said no more about his reasons, only that he missed Julian.

And Herbert wasn't giving a second thought to his brother as he lay in bed with Amy stimulating her g spot with expertise as she gave a soft cry and came hard, as wetness soaked his hand. They had just made love, and she had just climaxed, but there were no uncomfortable urges for more demanded by her body as she gave a sigh of satisfaction and wrapped her arms around him as they embraced beneath the covers.

“I love you so much,” she told him.

“I love you too,” he said, kissing her softly, and as they lay together warm in bed, Herbert shifted closer, enjoying this shared embrace as Amy enjoyed the fact that her body was satisfied and would demand no more tonight as they lay together. She was stroking Herbert's hair as he fell asleep, and then her mind began to wander to Shepard, who was just up the hall, alone in bed. She worried for him. She had not thought for one moment that he had been deeply in love with her but clearly, he had, and her rejection had hit him hard. She didn't want him to hurt like that, but she had Herbert and Lily and the baby to think about... But maybe, there would be a way to persuade Julian to see his father again. And this time, she wouldn't trick him, she would simply ask. She knew it might be risky, approaching him after what had happened, but if this made a difference to Shepard, she wanted to help and in her circumstances, it was all she could offer him now.

Herbert was at work when Amy went over to call on the Cobblepots. She had brought with her a festive hamper as a gift for the whole family – and when she gave her name at the gate and they called through to the house, the gates opened up immediately and she drove through, wondering if Julian had taken the call. But it wasn't Julian, it was Molly. She had helped her take the hamper from the car and smiled brightly as she thanked her for the lovely gift, and they had taken it into the house together as Lucy and Felix ran out to the hallway, keen to dive into the treats.

“That's for Christmas Day!” Molly called to the kids, “Leave it alone!”

Then she led her through to the front room.

“Julian,” she said, “Amy's here. She's got us a lovely hamper for Christmas!”

Julian had been sitting by the fire. He had just finished a call to Ozzie, who was at his office the city, and he had a smile on his face as he had said, _hurry home_ , but as the call ended and he turned around, he felt something of a jolt to see her standing there, remembering all she had done.

“Hi,” Amy said, “It's a little early, but I thought I'd bring a gift. Lily had a great time at the party, she told me all about it.”

Molly invited her to sit and asked her if she would like a drink. Amy said coffee would be fine as she was driving. Molly left the room and Julian looked at her uneasily.

“Sorry, it's just a shock seeing you here. But it's okay to come over, Amy. I know you didn't mean anything bad by trying to get me to talk to my father again. But it was hard at the time.”  
Amy glanced behind her, checking Molly was still out of sight, and she kept her voice low as she gave her reply.

“Actually, while I'm here, I know you don't want to see him, but Shepard slashed his wrist recently. He seriously tried to kill himself. I think he's genuinely sorry for his mistakes, Julian. And he hasn't asked me to come here, it's all my own idea – I just thought it might be good for both of you if you met again, because he has changed. He really does regret the way he treated you - and I do feel sorry for him.”

His father had tried to kill himself? The man he used to know would never have done such a thing. He had never had enough of a conscience to even think about his actions back then, but now, clearly he did, and it had overwhelmed him... That had surprised Julian, to know his father would have ever felt such remorse, or that he would ever try to end his life. But time had passed and Shepard had been killed by Bane and brought back by Herbert and it seemed, even though he would never be entirely changed, he had certainly changed to a considerable extent...

At that moment, Molly returned with the coffee and set it down.

“Amy just told me, Shepard regrets his mistakes so much he tried to kill himself. He slashed his wrist. And Oswald did say, if I wanted to see him, maybe I should...”

Molly sat down, feeling unsure how to react to this. If it had been the old days, she would have grabbed a gun to defend Julian against his father and so would Oswald – but times had changed and so, it seemed, had Shepard.

“Do you want to see him?” she asked.

“I'm thinking about it,” Julian replied, “And thanks for telling me about this, Amy. I thought I didn't give a shit about the guy but actually, I am glad you told me. I'm not saying I'll want him in my life, but let's just see how it goes - it would clear the air.”

Amy looked at him in surprise.

“You're sure?” she asked, recalling his angry reaction to their last meeting. “As long as we plan it and Molly comes with me, I will see him, and that's all I can say right now. I'm not making promises to repair bonds or any of that shit. But I will see him, Amy.”

“I'm glad,” she said, reaching for her coffee and saying no more. Julian had just made it clear his spouses knew nothing about the day she had tricked him into meeting his father at the house – and now he knew Oswald approved of his choice to meet with him, Julian was willing to do it, as long as there were no surprises...

Shepard was sleeping in his bed when Amy arrived home. She went in quietly and leaned over him, as it struck her that she was unable to resist an urge and this time it was nothing to do with her body being out of control. That issue had stopped with the shot that had returned her physically to normal, and left her numb. It was definitely not a sexual urge. It had come from her heart and she knew it, and she didn't want to think too much about it as she kissed his cheek.

Shepard opened his eyes and looked up at her in surprise.

“Amy?”

As he sat up, she sat on the edge of the bed and smiled.

“Don't get your hopes up, but I went over to see Julian and I told him how you've been struggling lately, and he's changed his mind. He wants to see you.”

As emotion registered in his eyes, he could barely speak.

“Julian wants to see me?”

“Yes he does, and be careful, don't push him, don't make any demands. Just tell him how you feel and say everything you need to say. I think he knows you're not the kind of guy you used to be. And he will see you very soon. Merry Christmas.”

She kissed his cheek again, then got up before he reached for her to be sure there was no chance of that kiss leading to another, more passionate encounter. He watched her leave the room, still stunned by what she had told him:

_Julian actually wanted to see him?_

Julian didn't want to wait too long for the meeting to take place. He called the house the next day, telling Amy that he wanted to come over, and Molly would be coming with him. Herbert was at work when Amy called to say Julian was coming over to meet with his father.

“I dread to anticipate the fallout from that!” he exclaimed, “I can't see them ever being close again, too much has happened. Don't expect miracles, Amy.”

“I'm not,” she assured him, “But I really do think it might be good for both of them.”

“I hope you're right,” Herbert told her, “because he's caused enough trouble and I don't want him doing something stupid all over again, I never want Lily to witness a repeat of what I saw in that bloody bathroom.”

“He won't be like that again,” Amy replied, “He's got something to hope for, and if it doesn't work out, he's still got us.”

Herbert chuckled.

“Oh Amy, he doesn't have me. I learned long ago not to trust him! He's only still under our roof because I pity him. Don't get too sucked in with his sob stories, I'll take a lot of convincing to believe he's changed.”

“We'll soon find out, Julian's here in an hour,” she replied, “I'll let you know what happens.”

Then she ended the call and turned to Shepard, who sat there in the front room, in his chair and wearing a dark suit, as an anxious look came to his eyes.

“I'm going to try,” he told her.

“You don't have to try too hard, just talk to him,” Amy reminded him.

Molly and Julian arrived an hour later. Julian felt nervous as he sat in the car, and Molly sat with him as he looked to the house.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Julian nodded.

“Like Oswald said, I need to speak to him – he's been brought back, it's a second chance, and I need to see him - even if it's only to clear the air.”

Molly nodded in agreement.

Earlier that morning, Oswald had hugged him tightly and said he had made a decision that he would not regret, even if he chose never to see Shepard again, because at least they would have spoken about the past – something Julian never could have done, had Herbert not brought him back from the dead. Oswald had also said it was best he was not there, because of the events that had happened after Bane had tried to take the city. He still wanted to know if Shepard had any knowledge of the fire trap that had killed hundreds of his men – a trap set by Bane, and it was Bane who was to blame for it, but he still wanted to know if Shepard had known the monolith was rigged. But those questions could wait. Right now, it was all about Julian making peace with the past.

It was Julian who decided to make a move and leave the car.

“I'm ready,” he said, and he got out and so did Molly and they walked together to the front door of the house, and Molly rang the bell.

Amy opened up the door and invited them in.

“It's good to see you,” she said, and that was directed at Molly and Julian.

Molly took off her coat and hung it up, but Julian kept his jacket on and unzipped it, then asked where his father was, and as Amy said he was in the front room, he thanked her and went on alone up the hallway.

“I think we should wait here,” Molly said, “Let them talk.”

“I was thinking the same,”Amy agreed.

As Molly looked at her, she couldn't help but notice beneath the fabric of her dark, close fitting winter dress, her belly seemed to have a tiny bump.

“Are you pregnant, Amy?” she asked.

Amy laughed.

“No, everyone says that to me – it's just my figure, it changed after I had Lily.”

Then she said no more on it, once again covering up the fact that she was pregnant and didn't even know if her baby would be human...

The front room was warm and inviting, there was a large Christmas tree in the corner of the room and it was covered with artificial snow and twinkling lights. Julian didn't want to look too much at the decorations and the festive mood of the house, clearly, the West family were planning to have a great Christmas, and Lily would enjoy it. Julian recalled most of his Christmas memories consisted of feeling lonely, with his father and mother away or busy with friends. But now it was his father who was lonely, sat there in his chair by the window, with a look in his eyes that mirrored the look he had seen last time he was here, on the day they had met in the lab and he had walked out in anger. But Julian didn't feel any of that anger now. Too much time had gone past since the old days that with reflection, reminded him just where he was at in life now – and he was far away from the past and the person who had been mistreated and abandoned and damaged. It felt like a lifetime ago as he pulled up a chair close to his father and the two men looked at each other.

“Don't say anything,” Julian told him, “Just hear me out first. I know I said a lot of things last time we met, but that was a dumb idea, you can't just expect me to be okay with coming face to face with you, with no warning, after all these years. And trapping me in the lab just made me panic, and then, it made me angry. But I'm not angry now.”

Julian paused, as Shepard listened, then he continued:

“I'm not the person I used to be. I'm not the young man who turned violent and then got even worse because you poisoned me with your Tetch Two virus. I'm not the guy who was broken by my time in the asylum.”

“I can see that,” Shepard said, and then he said no more, keen for Julian to speak.

“I've changed a lot,” Julian said as his hazel eyes shone with optimism, “I fell in love with Molly and when Oswald told me how he felt about me, I realised I had feelings for him, too. I'm married to a couple, I have a husband and a wife, and Molly has carried my baby, and I went on to have a child by birthing implant, by Oswald. They already had Cain, Felix and Luna, then Molly had Lucy and I had Gertie. I've also overcome all the damage done to me in the asylum. I've even beat the psychological stuff now. And I've been mayor of this city, and sometimes I still serve on the city council when an underworld seat needs to be filled. That's who I am now. _I guess I'm telling you all this because I'm trying to say, if time can change me that much, I think the same can be said for you, and also, you have grandchildren_.”

“Julian, are you giving me a second chance?” Shepard's voice was choked with tears as he looked at his son.

“Take this slow,” Julian replied, blinking back tears.

He took hold of Shepard's wrist and pulled up the cuff, turning his wrist over to see a recently healed scar.

“What did you do this shit for, Dad? I thought I was supposed to be the crazy one!” Julian smiled through his tears, and then he shook his head, “What did you do this for? Because it solves nothing.”

“I wanted out of the situation,” Shepard said quietly as tears shone on his face, “I was thinking back to all the bad choices I ever made, and then how I could have made a difference in the world without trying to take it over! And I thought about you, and how I should have been a better father – a decent, loving father who didn't give up on you. And I thought about love, not just your mother and her loss, but another... I have seldom felt love for anyone, and I wish I had loved more deeply and been a better person. I can't change the past but I wanted to leave it behind forever. I think in that moment everything broke for me, I had nothing left and too many regrets.”

Julian paused for a moment.

His mind was made up now.

“You still have me,” he said softly.

Shepard gave a sob and reached for him, hugging him tightly as Julian tearfully hugged him back, but quickly let go and shifted his seat back.

“Okay, that's enough. I said we're doing this slowly. I don't need to list what you've done. You know you abandoned me and gave up on me, you know what I went through. You even let Bane use my abduction to start another war. And there's so much more, Dad. But I know you're sorry. And we do need to talk about everything, but not all at once, and not today. I'm giving you another chance but this is going to take a lot of time.”

Shepard nodded gratefully.

“Of course. Anything, son! I'll do this any way you want me to!”

Julian straightened up in his seat, gathered his thoughts and spoke again.

“Oswald tells me there's a way you can lay the past to rest, if you're wiling to do it. If you do, it would mean we could be a closer family. And you could stay here with full protection of not only the GCPD but the underworld, too.”

Shepard blinked away tears, looking at his son in surprise.

“How do I do that?”

“You're immune from prosecution,” Julian reminded him, “And to be a citizen of Gotham with the double layer of protection to shield you from former associates and enemies, you would be able live a pretty good life here without hiding away. But you need to get the truth across to the people of the city - the absolute truth. Oswald is willing to grant you this protection and permission to stay, indefinitely, without fear of reprisals, if you are willing to attend a series of meetings at City Hall, which will be televised to the public a year from now. It's to be an enquiry into the second war with Bane. Your involvement is proven but you would have to be completely honest about all you know. It was Bane's war, you were just an associate - who he was quick to dispose of when he realised he was losing. The city needs to know your side of the story.”

There was a flicker of panic in Shepard's eyes.

“But people will hate me -”

“A lot of formerly hated people who did wrong in the past live free lives in this city, with full protection,” Julian explained, “Those immune from prosecution are _not_ allowed to be harmed, and anyone who tries a revenge attack will face fifty years in jail if the GCPD catch them, and if the underworld catch them, it's execution. You have nothing to fear, Dad. If you can do this for Oswald, he will cut you a deal and there's no need to vanish and start a new life with a new identity, you can stay here in the city and live freely. He's suggested to me that you can pull together your old network in the healthcare industry, and with his help, use it to benefit the people of Gotham – if you speak at the enquiry. He's doing for you what he did for Hugo Strange, he offered him a way out of the shit he was in by asking him to research and develop cures for disease and that's how he lives well and safely despite his past. He now works to help the city. It can be done, it's up to you.”

Shepard didn't need to think about it.

“I'll do it,” he said.

“I'm glad you made the right choice. This is going to work out,” Julian promised him, and then he leaned closer and hugged him again before letting go, “And I'm done here for today, but I'll be calling you on Christmas Eve, and we can talk more then – and not about deals. I'm still your son.”

Julian got up and walked to the door. Shepard said his name and he turned back.

“Thank you,” Shepard said, and then he smiled proudly, “And I'm seeing the Lambrick traits in you in a good way, Julian – you came here to give me a second chance and you sealed a deal at the same time. I'm proud of you. I just wish I'd told you that long ago.”

“There's plenty of time to make up for it,” Julian assured him, and then he left the room and went back down the hall to rejoin Molly.

After Molly and Julian left, Amy returned to the front room, where she hugged Shepard as outside, Molly's car left the driveway.

“I was talking with Molly and I happened to overhear you're going to speak at an enquiry? Is that wise?”

“Julian seems to think so. It was Oswald's idea. A chance for the people to learn what happened during that time, and a chance for me to be completely honest. It's also an opportunity to start again, Amy. And Julian wants to see me again, too.”

“I'm happy for you,” she said, “Molly told me Oswald wants to give you a chance – but you'll have to do this first to prove yourself, because that's how Oswald works.”

“And I'm willing to do this,” Shepard told her as he smiled and hope shone in his gaze, “I'll do whatever it takes.”

As they drove home, Julian was on the phone to Oswald, telling him that the meeting had gone well.

“Do you trust him?” Oswald asked.

“I think so. I want to, but it will take time.”

“And he's agreed to speak at the enquiry next year?”

“Yes, Ozzie, he's willing to do it.”

“Then I'll call him, and we'll clear up a few matters outstanding and providing all goes well, we can lay the groundwork for making good on this deal,” Oswald assured him, “But it's all up to him now, because I'll be explaining to him that he needs to answer questions right now about his involvement in Cain's abduction. Once we have that cleared up, we can think about the rest.”

Julian smiled.

“I think it's going to work out, Ozzie. Let's go for it, tell him Jax and Josh are coming over and let's see how he responds, because I think it's going to be okay.”

“I hope you're right,” Oswald replied, and then he ended the call.

Amy was busy upstairs when Shepard's phone rang. He was still in the front room, and as he sat by the window and answered the call, he was surprised to hear Oswald's voice on the end of the line.

“I hear the reunion with my husband went well,” he said, “I'm very glad to know that. And assuming all is well, the enquiry will go ahead a year from now. In that time, I'm sure you and Julian will start to rebuild a trusting bond.”

“Yes, we will,” Shepard replied as he blinked back tears of joy, “I'm so thankful for this chance.”

“And there's one more thing that we need to clear up,” Oswald added, “We can't go ahead with this plan until I know everything you know about the plot to kidnap my son Cain, I need to know all about Izak and his associates. I will need you to answer some questions over the next couple of days, my Generals will be over to the house to speak with you – there's nothing to be alarmed about, but we do need to clarify a few things before we can go on to plan for the rest.”

“Of course,” Shepard replied, “I have noting to hide, Oswald. I will be open about everything... is this an interrogation?”

“No, it's not,” Oswald replied, “But you will be expected to comply with the questioning honestly and provide evidence required linked to certain matters. They will be over to see you two days from now.”

“But that's Christmas Day!” Shepard exclaimed.

Oswald chuckled.

“The underworld doesn't stop, Mr Lambrick. We work every day of the year. They will be over to see you at ten am, you will be required to speak with them in a room separate to the West family, we don't want to disturb your Christmas any more than we need to, but this has to be done.”

“Very well,” Shepard agreed, feeling tension rise as he recalled all he had heard from Herbert about Jax and Josh and their questioning techniques, “You're sure this isn't an interrogation?”

“You can take me at my word,” Oswald replied, “We need to get this cleared up before we can go on with plans for next year, and it needs to be done fast.”

“I'll do what ever is asked of me,” Shepard replied, “I will answer your questions, Oswald.”

“I know you will, Shepard,” Oswald replied, and then he ended the call as Shepard sat there alone in his chair, feeling tension rise as he broke into a cold sweat as what had been a day filled with hope turned to one full of dread as he wondered what kind of questions about his involvement with Izak could be so urgent...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It was Christmas morning. The front room was a mess of wrapping paper as the kids opened their presents. Molly was in her dressing gown, Ozzie was beside her on the sofa with his morning tea. Julian was already up and dressed and yet to join them.

“Did you have to do this today, Ozzie?” she said, “Jax and Josh want Christmas day at home, but they've got to take time out of their day, today of all days, to go over and question Shepard!”

“I'm aware of that,” Oswald said as he paused to blow steam off his tea before taking a sip, “But they are being paid generous bonuses for it. I explained to Selina and Ivy, and to Carol, that Josh and Jax are needed today. I had to take time yesterday to brief them both on what was to be asked, and if all goes well, Julian knows what he can do next, but we need answers first.”

Molly nodded.

“We need to know exactly how much he knew about Cain,” she agreed, “Julian won't want to know him if this turns bad.”

“And he won't be welcome in the city any longer if I find out there's more connections – but I have a theory on it, I just need to hear his side of it first,” Oswald replied, “And I'm sorry about this, but I need to be in my study for a while now. I'm going to be making calls to mainland contacts.”

Molly gave a sigh as Oswald kissed her cheek and got up.

“On Christmas day!” she exclaimed, and then she smiled as she watched the kids opening more presents, the turkey was cooking and the smell was drifting through the house. By mid day, Cain would be here with Ronnie. All her kids would be together today. She just wished Ozzie had not decided to spend the morning on an underworld matter that could have waited for another day, but she understood why it had to be handled now, and she hoped the matter would be resolved quickly, so that Christmas could resume without interruption.

At the home of Herbert and Amy West, tension was in the air Lily had opened her presents, and Amy had cleared up the torn paper and then as the time drew close to Jax and Josh arriving, as Lily enjoyed Christmas morning with Amy, Herbert checked his watch and rose from his seat.

“Stay in here with Lily,” he said, “I'll let them in when they arrive, but I don't think they will let me stay with Shepard. They want to speak to him alone.”

Amy felt worried sick.

“I won't let them hurt him!”

“If Oswald says this is just a discussion, we have to trust that,” he replied, “And I'm not worried about my brother. This is his business, not mine.”

“But you are worried,” Amy told him as the doorbell rang.

“I'm not!” Herbert insisted, and as he left the room and closed the door behind him, Amy felt afraid for Shepard.

“You are,” she said quietly, “You're as worried as me, Herbert!”

The doorbell rang again.

Herbert opened up the door and Jax and Josh stood there. Jax had a briefcase and Herbert glanced at it, hoping this wouldn't turn out to be an interrogation after all. He didn't care about his brother – not much, but he didn't want him tortured...

“Good morning Herbert, merry Christmas to you,” said Jax politely as he entered the house

“Merry Christmas,” Josh added, and as he followed him in, Herbert closed the front door and turned to his visitors.

“I need your assurance this is not an interrogation.”

“Herbert, this is just a visit to clear up some questions, so that your brother and Julian can go on to renew their family bond, and it's not a matter you can be involved in,” Jax explained.

“You need to wait in another room,” Josh added, “We have to speak to Shepard alone.”

“He's in the dining room,” Herbert replied, indicating to a doorway just down the hall, “And please remember, he's been fragile lately.”

“We are fully aware of the suicide attempt,” Jax assured him, “I understand your worries, but we had to interrogate _you_ due to circumstances – and today, those are _not_ the same circumstances. This is not a hostile visit.”

Herbert nodded.

“I'll be in the front room with my wife,” was all he said in reply, and then he walked off as Jax and Josh headed for the dining room.

As they walked in, Shepard was in his wheelchair, at the table where he had been sitting for the past half an hour. He looked uneasy as Jax sat one side of the table and Josh sat the other, then Jax placed his briefcase on the chair beside him and opened it up and took out paperwork.

“Okay Shepard,” Jax said, “I'm going to start this by saying, Oswald is fully aware of your recent suicide attempt. And we are not here to harm you. It's important you understand that.”

“I understand so far,” Shepard replied, looking to the two men seated on either side as he sat at the head of the table, “Just tell me what Oswald wants.”

“We need to ask you about the abduction of his son Cain,” Josh said, and Shepard gave a heavy sigh as he briefly closed his eyes, he was sweating and his hands were shaking as he sat there at the table, trying to keep composure as he started to speak.

“I was contacted by an ex colleague who said Izak Coffinwood had been placed in the city with a view to taking over from Oswald, and I was asked, as I was already here, to make some calls and help set up Izak with some people who could help him to achieve that. I wasn't told what it was about, just the kind of contacts he needed, and I set about reaching those people. Izak also bragged to me that he was going to sell out some drugs that he said would get him a ton of business – he said they were tampered with for strength, to cause instant addiction. That's all I know.”

“And you went along with it?” Jax asked.

Shepard looked him in the eye, holding nothing back.

“I had no involvement in the manufacture of the drugs. And I'm sure there was a time when Oswald would have done the same as me to get a foot on the ladder. Gotham is a vast city, it means big money. And that's life with underworld dealings – people plot. Its nothing personal against Oswald. I don't know what was in the drugs, Izak kept that from me.”

“What about Cain's abduction?” Josh added, “When she called the cops, Amy said you knew about that part.”

“I did,” Shepard replied, “Izak told me he wanted to take Cain, to get to Oswald. Again, nothing personal against the family – I didn't know them at the time. I knew Julian was married to Oswald and to Molly but I figured that Cain would come to no harm, that's what Izak said to me. As for Oswald, that was a war between him and Izak. And I'd heard that there were plans to have Izak killed off before he got a chance to become head of the underworld so others could step in – it was a long chain of command, I was literally somewhere in the middle. I wasn't told everything. But I'm willing to list the names of every person I knew to be, or rumoured to be, involved across the border.”

Jax and Josh exchanged a glance, then Jax looked at Shepard.

“We already have the names – Oswald has been working to round these people up quietly, and we have friends on the mainland assisting us with our enquiries. Oswald wanted to make sure your story checks out, purely off the record, and it does. As for your role in the conspiracy, Oswald said you were only doing what he would have once done – it was a chance to gain some power. He knows you hold no personal grudge.”

Shepard breathed a relieved sigh.

“Thank you for hearing me out.”

Jax noticed his hands were shaking.

“That's all we had to ask,” he said with a smile, “And although we are skilled in interrogation, we are also here to serve in other capacities too, and none of them are sinister. Oswald's daughter Doctor River Mooney wants you to have these,” Jax handed him a box of medication, “She feels in light of the strain you've been under, it would be wise to take some medication for a while to help you recover from the depression that caused you to self harm. She would also like you to know that you are welcome to call her and discuss any issues you may have, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed emotionally at this time.”

Josh watched as Jax, who could be so brutal when interrogating suspects, showed an entirely different side to his nature as he placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder and gave it a pat.

“I can see you've been through a lot, and no one doubts you have changed in many ways, but I also understand that you're showing signs of being very fragile at this time. When you speak at the enquiry, we will be there, _not_ to hear your evidence and drag you off for questioning, we will be there to support you. I don't just know how to beat up and torture people, Shepard! On the other side of things, I'm trained to protect, and I'm also trained to watch out for your mental well being. We will both be there for you, at Oswald's request. That enquiry will be emotionally tough.”

Shepard nodded.

“I'm fully aware I will have to speak about some terrible things – and about the way I treated my son!”

He blinked back tears.

“We don't need to talk about that now,” Josh added, “We will be leaving soon, but Jax has something for you, from Julian, and I'm going to wait in the car now. I'll see you again soon.”

Josh left the room.

Shepard looked at Jax.

“What now?”

Jax smiled.

“One moment, please.”

Shepard watched as he made a phone call to Oswald, feeling uneasy as he wondered what would happen next. He still feared this was some kind of a set up, he had admitted his role in the conspiracy and they seemed fine about it but, these were Oswald's Generals, and he still wasn't sure if he could trust them, especially not Jax, who was known as an interrogator...

“Yes Oswald,” he said into the phone, “That's right. Everything checks out... Okay, I'll wait.”

Shepard was sweating as he sat there, wondering if an order for execution was coming up. He knew how the underworld worked, and if Oswald wanted him out of Julian's life forever, it would be so easy to do it right now, to order Jax to have him killed...

“Okay, I'll do it right now” Jax said, and he ended the call.

Shepard watched as Jax reached into the case beside him.

“What's going on?” he said in a hushed voice.

“You'll see,” Jax replied, and then he placed a laptop on the table. He opened it up and began to make a video call.

“Sir, are you ready?” Jax asked as he looked at the screen, and then he spoke again, “I'll turn this around and wait outside until you're done,” he said with a smile and then he turned the laptop around, facing Shepard, and left the room.

It had just occurred to Shepard that he wasn't going to be shot for telling the truth. And then he realised who was on the video call, and he blinked back tears as he started to smile.

“Ozzie just wanted to make sure your story checked out,” said Julian, holding a baby girl in his arms. Her hair was fair and her eyes were the same shade as Julian as she smiled into the camera as he sat her on his lap, “Merry Christmas, Dad,” he said, “This is my youngest daughter, she's called Gertie – after Oswald's mom, Gertrude.”

Shepard smiled as he blinked away more tears.

“She's adorable!” he said, “But _why_ is she dressed as a Leprechaun?”

Julian laughed.

“Molly's Irish, and I always said her kids were Leprechauns, then I started putting them in costumes to surprise her and Ozzie when the kids were little, and it's a tradition now. Every Christmas, the baby of the family wears the Leprechaun costume.”

Shepard laughed too.

“I think I've missed out on some great family times!”

“We can start to make up for that now,” Julian promised, “It's going to take time, but we will get there, Dad. We have a lot of rebuilding to do, but it's going to be okay...”

They spoke for over twenty minutes, then Julian had to go because Gertie needed a feed. Jax returned to the room when the call ended and put the laptop back in the case, then he told Shepard that Julian would be in touch again soon, and added he hoped he would enjoy Christmas, then he left the house and joined Josh in the car and they drove away, both keen to get home to their families now the job was handled, so they could enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

_Time moved on._

_New year came and went._

By the time winter had thawed to spring, Amy stopped leaving the house, hiding the growing bump that she could not deny was certainly a pregnancy. Lily had been instructed not to tell anyone that Mommy was pregnant because her baby brother or sister was more than different, and it took a lot of explaining, but all she need to know was the very special baby would have to be a secret for a very long time...

In all this time, Shepard was still at the West family home. And he looked forward to now regularly meeting with Julian, who kept his distance, but slowly became closer to his father. For now, Shepard meeting the rest of the family would have to wait, Julian decided, because they had a lot to talk over, and it would take time. But they were slowly building a bond.

Amy felt happy to know that Shepard was happier, it was her gift to him, this new bond he was forging with Julian. She hoped it made up for the fact that she could not be with him. But she still caught that look in his eyes, over dinner, or in the front room when Herbert wasn't looking. He still had love in his eyes, and heartbreak too. But Amy was focusing on the baby. These days Shepard was a little stronger emotionally, he had taken River's advice and her medication, and the more he got to know Julian all over again, the better life became. He didn't doubt the enquiry would be tough, but if that was what it took to be accepted here, he was willing to speak up when the time came.

For Josh, nothing had been the same since the fall from the ladder. Physically, he was fine, but that recurring dream kept coming back to him, seeing Jax shot, then turning to face a gunman who opened fire again...

“ _You can see now,”_ Lucy told him one morning as he helped out with the kids as a favour for Oswald, and did the school run.

“What do you mean, Lucy?” he asked as he pulled up and parked by the school.

“I don't know what she means!” Felix had said, and got out and headed for the gates. Lucy picked up her school bag and leaned in the front of the car.

“It's not a bad thing. You _see_ things, and you know before they happen, like me and Lily can,” she replied, “Bye Josh, I've got to go to school now!”

And she got out of the car as he sat there, watching as the kids went in through the open gates... He recalled Lily's words, Lily who had returned from the dead, and thought on what Lucy, with her many gifts, had just told him...

_Was it possible this was some kind of warning? Had that blow to the head awakened something in his mind, some kind of ability to see the future?_

He shook his head, not wanting to give that too much thought. He would rather it was just a recurring dream, to keep life nice and simple...

But life wasn't nice and simple.

Next morning, it happened again.

_This time it was something else - more came to him._

Josh was in bed, it was early morning, he was warm in the middle as Selina and Ivy slept either side of him. It was late springtime and the weather was warm and he had just woken and smiled contentedly, with Selina breathing softly in his ear as he turned his head and inhaled the scent of Ivy's long red hair that carried the scent of exotic flowers. And then he closed his eyes again and something flashed through his mind:

The ground floor of Cobblepot Industries, with its marble floor and walls. Oswald was planning to hold a meeting for investors, and some had turned up already, even though the meeting was thirty minutes away. An old woman in a fancy hat was stroking a small dog she carried in her arms as the light caught on a large diamond on her finger.

“I've been an investor since Oswald opened this place thirty years ago!” she exclaimed as she spoke to Jax, who stood there waiting to escort the guests upstairs, “Thirty years, and now he doesn't look a day over thirty! I wish I knew his secret!”

There was a guy in a suit who had brought his kid along. He stood with other investors, explaining that his daughter wanted to meet Mr Cobblepot.

“She's going to work for the underworld when she's older!” he said, and the girl looked up at her father and smiled.

And in his mind as he walked towards the gathering, he could see it:

_A bag with wires sticking out, and it was hidden somewhere in the building..._

_No, he knew where._

_Next to the conference room on the third floor..._

Josh smashed the glass covering the alarm and threw a switch, then hit the scanner with his thumb print. Wall lights began to flash red as he ran up to Jax.

“ _Get everyone out now, there's a bomb on the third floor!”_

Jax looked at him in alarm, and quickly appealed for calm as he began to lead the guests towards the entrance.

“Its a bomb!” he said again, turning to security staff, “I know where it is but there's no time – evacuate the building!” and security staff began to run in all directions, trying to calm the panic and escort people out, as on the reception, an announcement was made to evacuate...

_And that bomb was still ticking._

Josh gave a gasp and sat upright sharply as Ivy and Selina were jolted from sleep.

“ _There's a bomb!”_ he gasped.

Ivy ran her fingers through her hair and blinked away sleep.

Selina groaned and turned on her back.

“Not another one... _stop it_ with these nightmares, Josh!”

The vision was gone. Josh was shaking.

“Nightmare?”

“Bad dream, go back to sleep!” Ivy said, and she laid back down, keen to grab more rest before Flora woke.

He laid back down as Selina shifted closer to him.

“River said you were okay after that fall from the ladder. I don't think she's made a mistake, but maybe you should see her again, just in case. These dreams have been happening ever since that night, always freaky, always scary!”

She had murmured that as she shifted closer, closing her eyes and giving a sigh. Josh could not go back to sleep. Instead he lay there, wide awake, looking up at the ceiling as he wondered if he was going crazy, if they were just dreams or if it was something else entirely... he had never known anything like this, and everything he saw seemed far too real to simply be a few bad dreams...

Summer arrived.

_Amy was on her back screaming._

Lily was back at the house with Uncle Shepard, and had no clue her mother was giving birth on a table in the lab in the old building at the back of the property.

“One more push, Amy!” Herbert urged as he watched the head crown.

“ _I can't... Oh my god, get it out of me!”_ she yelled.

Herbert's eyes widened in horror as the baby turned, pushed two clawed hands out of the birth canal, raised its head and as Amy screamed again, it _crawled_ out of her body with a gush of fluid, trailing the afterbirth with it, then grabbed at the cord and gnawed through it hungrily.

Amy fell back exhausted.

“Is it alive?”

There was a pause.

“Yes, _he_ is,” Herbert had his back to her as she raised her head.

He was cradling something in his arms wrapped in a blood stained towel, and he carried on holding it, looking down at the half human, zombie like baby that had just made its own way into the world with little effort required. He reached a trembling hand towards its face, pale and mottled with dark green veins, as it opened eyes a shade darker than Re Agent. It gave a snarl and he gave a yell as he pulled his fingertip clear of the baby's mouth.

“ _He bit me!”_

“Show me the baby...”Amy whispered, and all she could do was lay there, weak and exhausted as Herbert looked down at the monster child – his own son – and his heart filled with love for him.

“You are different but so very precious!” he said, wrapping the child closely in the towel, keeping sharp claw like nails wrapped up as its little monster face peeked out and it bared a row of tiny teeth that could easily rival a piranha for sharpness.

“Hello son,” he said softly, and then he turned around, the baby in his arms and his eyes filled with tears of joy.

“He's not human, but he's ours and he's perfect!” he said.

His lab coat was stained with blood, his hands were also stained, and the towel was marked with it too, and a hand with sharp claws slipped out and grabbed at a spot of blood on the towel and began to suckle it furiously. As Amy saw the baby for the first time, his eyes looked unearthly green, she saw his skin mottled with dark veins, and the pallor to its tone. But Herbert smiled and so did she.

”He's our baby!” she said, and Herbert carefully placed him in her arms and fetched a bottle from the fridge, filled with blood.

“And we shall love and protect him always,” he vowed as he handed her the bottle and sat beside her as she gave him his first feed, “But remember he bites and he will until he's old enough to learn not to. We have to be so careful, we have to hide him, to keep him safe.”

“We will,” Amy said as she gazed down at the baby as it sucked hungrily on the chilled blood, “He's ours,and he's beautiful.”

Herbert smiled proudly.

“And we will always protect him.”

Amy reached for his hand, the baby grasped her finger, pointed nails sharp as claws curled about her flesh, but did not bite in, as the child fed and looked up at his parents.

“My little boy with spiky nails and teeth,” Amy said as she held him, “His nails feel like little thorns.”

“Maybe that's what we should call him,” Herbert said, “Thorne West.”

“I love it!” Amy agreed.

Then they sat there together, as she held Thorne and he fed for the first time, draining the bottle dry of every drop of blood. It was their secret alone to share, that a child had been born into the family, a child unlike any other in the city of Gotham, and that child closed his eyes and smiled, showing razor sharp teeth as he slept contentedly, a precious little monster in his mother's arms. Of course, he would soon grow and become a bigger monster, but for now, there was no reason to think about that as the Wests spent this precious time with their newborn son.

_But Thorne would grow._

_Thorne would indeed become a bigger monster, in time..._

End

This fic continues in His Irish Angel Part 11: Prophecy

**Also please be aware that for now, writing is keeping me going in a time of great stress due to family illness, but due to these circumstances part 11 may or may not have frequent updates.**


End file.
